


A Fine Romance

by DragonSgotenks



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bottom Castiel/Top Dean Winchester, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Kid Fic, M/M, Nurse Castiel (Supernatural), Past Castiel (Supernatural)/Original Male Character(s), Single Parent Castiel (Supernatural), Slow Burn, Teacher Dean Winchester, Top Castiel/Bottom Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:07:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 54,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21839443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonSgotenks/pseuds/DragonSgotenks
Summary: Castiel was one of those Parents the other teachers referred to as a "hot mess" but Dean just thought he was hot, even if he did come off as kind of a dick sometimes.When an accident lands him in the ER Dean comes face to face with his biggest crush when he discovers Cas is his nurse. It seems like fate that he manages to strike up a friendship with the father of some of his favorite students. But with Castiel still bitter over the way his ex used him up and then left him with nothing but 3 young kids to raise on his own he may be guarding his heart with too much caution to let someone new in.Dean will have to find a way to thaw the ice around Cas' heart or risk letting his chance at happiness slip through his fingers.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 558
Kudos: 1079
Collections: The Destiel Fan Survey Favs Collection





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello readers!   
> Just wanted to post a few notes. 
> 
> First and foremost always want to give a shoutout to @Beatrix_Kiddo for betaing. She is amazing!
> 
> Also this is a wip so be aware of tags being added. I will always leave a trigger warning at the top of the page if needed. 
> 
> I can say that no major tags will be added to this story. This will be a slow burn so strap in folks lol. Otherwise enjoy and let me know what you think. :)

* * *

Dean lets out a long breath as he looks around the empty classroom. Pretty soon it would be filled with 18 children all looking to him to lead them through the journey that is known as 3rd grade. All his years of hard work, late nights spent pouring over text books, and generally sacrificing all forms of a social life, were for this moment. His dreams were finally coming to fruition.

He was absolutely fucking terrified.

If someone had told him 15 years ago that he would one day decide to be an elementary school teacher he would have laughed directly in their face. As a kid Dean had been the very definition of the quintessential bad boy. That included the shitty grades to go with his shitty attitude and his shitty home life.

Dean can remember a time when he had been the "good kid" in class but than his mom had died when he was 13 and suddenly Dean was playing the role of both father and mother to his little brother Sam while their Dad spent most of his time with his old friends Jack, Johnnie, and Jose.

Instead of goofing off or having fun Dean was busy making sure they had food to eat, clean clothes to wear, and forging his dad's signature on permission slips. Dean's main priority had been to take care of Sam so they didn't get separated by CPS, he didn't have time to worry about homework or making friends. He put in enough effort into his schoolwork to keep the teachers from calling his Dad and that was it.

And for a while it had worked. He had skirted by with his bad boy rep, pretty face, and cocky smile until the day he walked into Mr. Singer's classroom and for the first time since his mother had passed away, had an adult look at him and see a little deeper then his leather jacket and bruised knuckles.

Bobby Singer had saved Dean from a life of pain and disappointment. He has no doubt he would have ended up on the streets in an attempt to escape his father but Bobby gave him something to work towards and a dream to fight for. 

Dean wishes more than anything that the crotchety English teacher was here to see him now. To see how Dean is a real teacher getting ready to greet his first class of students. 

Before he can get too lost in his thoughts Dean hears the sound of children's voices all clamoring together in the halls and Dean plasters on a smile and waits for his first student to arrive.

Most students had met their teachers last week during the school open house but Dean had been added to the roster very last minute after the previous 3rd grade teacher had gone into preterm labor. 

He feels a bit like he's been thrown to the wolves but as the kids slowly start to trickle in, giving him shy glances and nervous smiles he feels his trepidation tip more towards excitement.

The class room is almost full when the sound of a throat clearing brings his attention to the doorway. Standing there is a man with dark messy hair, even darker sunglasses, loose sweats and a truly hideous bright yellow hoodie, with a giant cartoon bee on it. The dude is the male version of a mom showing up in a housecoat and curlers and Dean winces as he catches a few boys snickering out of the corner of his eye. He's going to have to keep his ear out for teasing.

The man has 2 boys beside him both with the same messy hair and both sporting fierce blue eyes that make Dean feel like a bug under a microscope. They have identical scowls on their faces and it's more than obvious they're twins and Dean groans internally because  _ of course _ he would get identical twins in his first real class.

He brings his eyes back to the man, presumably the father, and prepares for his very first parent encounter.

"Can I help you sir?"

"Where's Mrs. Simpson?"

The tone is borderline accusatory and Dean instantly has his guard up but he plasters on a fake smile and responds in his friendliest voice.

"Unfortunately Mrs. Simpson had a family emergency that required her to take an early leave of absence. I'm Mr. Winchester, feel free to call me Dean, and I'll be taking over Mrs. Simpson's class for the rest of the year."

He stretches out his hand in greeting but the man in front of him frowns deeply before taking his hand limply.

"Castiel Novak and this Is Jamie and Teddy Novak. Why wasn't I informed of this change?"

Dean takes a deep breath, his jaw is starting to ache as he works to keep the smile on his face.

"I'm sorry you weren't aware Mr. Novak, it was a very last minute change. They  _ did _ email a newsletter to parents last Friday but I understand those can get lost in the shuffle sometimes."

"What about Miss Bradbury? Is she teaching this year? Would it be possible to place the boys in her room?"

_ Jesus Christ this dude was like a dog with a bone. _

Dean's downright offended by now and he couldn't curve the curt tone of his voice if he tried.

"Yes, Miss Bradbury  _ is _ teaching this year  _ but _ due to a large number of kids we both have full classrooms. You are more than welcome to take your concerns up with the main office but for today I'm afraid your choice is my classroom or to take your children home with you."

There's a beat of silence before Novak reaches up to push his sunglasses up on his head. Dean is immediately pinned by the same fierce blue eyes Novak's sons are sporting. The only difference is this guy looks like he hasn't slept in days. Dark and deep bags stand out under each slightly bloodshot eye but that doesn't take away from their beauty and Dean has to fight hard not to gap at the difference it makes looking Novak in the eye.

"Looks like I don't have much of a choice Mr. Winchester."

Dean fully expects him to walk out in a huff with his scowling children behind him but instead he squats down so he's eye level with the boys and Dean blinks as he gets the first glimpse of the tiny girl that has been hiding behind Novak's legs this whole time. 

She has much lighter hair then her brothers but again the same too blue eyes. She's dressed in a black sweater with a sparkly skull decal and crazy bright rainbow leggings, her hair is in a meticulous braid and she sports a backpack that looks twice her size on her back. She must be a kindergartener and she's staring at him with a shy smile while she clings to her father.

Dean can hear him talking softly to the boys asking them if they'll be ok to stay for the day. Teddy never looks up from his feet but Jamie nods along as his father talks.

"It's ok Dad we'll be fine just take Honey Bea to her class. We got this."

_ Honey Bea? _

Novak nods firmly and scoops both boys into his arms before standing and trapping Dean with his eyes again stealing his breath for a moment.

"I  _ will be _ taking my concerns to the office. Good day Mr. Winchester."

With that Novak and the little girl sweep out of the class room and Dean is left wondering what just happened. Over the years he's heard plenty of horror stories when it comes to parents so Dean isn't really surprised just mostly disappointed.

Castiel Novak might be hot as hell but Dean can already tell he's going to be trouble. Hopefully his kids will prove to have better attitudes.

He goes down his attendance sheet several times before he realizes Teddy must be Theadore and Jamie must be James. He'll have to print out a new sheet so he doesn't get mixed up.

As the day goes on Dean's fears appear to be unfounded and the twins turn out to be some of his best behaved kids. Both boys are quiet and keep to themselves. Jamie appears to be a little more outgoing than his brother and he raises his hand several times when Dean tries to engage the kids in a discussion on what they did over the summer. From what Jamie tells the class it appears the Novak family just moved to town last year but this is actually their first day at a public school. 

Dean is surprised and feels a small pang of guilt. It must be pretty nerve racking to not only start over in a new town but to also drop your kids for their first day of school only to find out they don't have the teacher you already introduced them to. He probably could have handled the whole situation better this morning though Novak still could have just said something instead of being a dick. Dean figures it would only be fair to give the guy another chance at a first impression.

He checks the boys going home plan and sees they're down for parent pick up so Dean decides he'll try to patch things up at the end of the school day. After all they'll have to at  _ least _ be able to get along if he's going to be Jamie and Teddy's teacher for the year.

The rest of the day is pretty smooth considering he's in charge of so many small children. One kid, Ben, ends up in the nurse's office after he eats an entire eraser on a dare and one girl, Emma, spends 10 mins crying because her "best friend" said she didn't like her anymore but otherwise it was a good first day.

The room erupts into thinly controlled chaos as Dean instructs his class to clean up and gather their backpacks and going home papers. He lines up the kids that ride the bus first and than the kids being picked up behind them. 

Clapping his hands together twice to get everyone's attention Dean calls out, "Class. Class."

"Yes. Yes." All 18 little voices say at once. It brings a huge smile to Dean's face how quickly they all picked up on that little prompt. The other 3rd grade teacher, Miss. Bradbury had taught it to him and already it was his best tool for getting everyone's attention.

"We are going to  _ walk,  _ not run, single file, to the bus line first. Once the riders are on the bus the rest of you will follow me to the pick up line where you will stay  _ in line _ until you are dismissed. Even if you see your parent  _ do not _ leave the line until I tell you. Does everyone understand?"

Once again 18 little voices speak in unison, "Yes Mr. Winchester!"

"Ok kiddos lets move it out."

It only takes a few minutes to get his bus kids loaded up and then he's leading the handful of 3rd graders he's got left like ducklings to the front of the school. He gets the kids lined up with the rest of the classes waiting for pick up. It doesn't take long before he's down to just 2 kids. The Novak twins and honestly that is just too convenient to be a good sign. 

He's got his eyes peeled for dark hair and an ugly bee sweater so it takes him by surprise when a petite woman with fiery red hair walks up with the same little girl that had been with Novak this morning in tow. She flashes a friendly smile and gives a little wave.

"Hello. I'm Anna Novak. I'm here to pick up Teddy and Jamie."

Dean's eyebrows shoot up but he shakes off his surprise quickly. Anna Novak? This must be the kid's mom and Novak's wife. Dean's not sure why that surprises him so much. He runs over the list in his hand and sees the woman's name on the twins pick up list along with Novak's.

"Ah ok yes I see your name here. Do you have a photo id on you? Sorry we only have to check it the first time."

She waves him off and pulls her wallet out of a small purse hanging off her slight shoulder. Dean gives it a quick glance and checks her off his list. 

"You're all set. They had a great day today and I look forward to seeing them in class tomorrow."

Anna thanks him before leading all 3 kids to a dark SUV that's idling at the curb. He can hear her asking them about their first day and see the bright open smile on Teddy's face as he talks about the class book they started today. They look like a perfect little family although all 3 kids definitely take after their dad more in the looks department. 

Dean turns away with a deep sigh feeling oddly disappointed. He stops by the office to find out if Novak had actually managed to get the twins transferred to another classroom only to find out he'd never even stopped into the office. Figures the guy was all bark and no bite. 

With his first day officially over Dean heads back to his classroom to clean up and gather his things and if a tired face with piercing blue eyes happens to cross his mind more than once, well no one else has to know but him.

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy howdy y'all!
> 
> First off thank you for your lovely comments on chapter one! They always bring a big smile to my face!
> 
> ⚠️ Tags have been updated but before you get too excited the tags are for the overall story and not necessarily for this chapter.⚠️
> 
> As always a huge shout out to @Beatrix_Kiddo for being an amazing beta 🥰.
> 
> Enjoy and if you feel so inclined let me know what you think of chapter 2!

* * *

The next day starts off as well as the first, only this time he's ready when Novak shows up. Today the dark haired man is wearing a black hoodie with the words "If You Fib, You Get Paddled" on the front, jeans tight enough to be painted on, and just enough dark scruff along his jaw to make Dean want to weep. Even as casual as his attire is, it still puts Dean's plain olive green button up and black slacks to shame.

_ Of course this man is married _ . Dean's pretty sure if he got hold of a dude that ho, he'd want to lock it down, too.

The boys aren't scowling this time but rather smiling openly while they walk their little sister into the room with them. She's just as colorfully dressed today as yesterday as she stands between her brothers, each boy holding one of her hands. 

It's so adorable that it takes Dean a minute to realize Novak is waiting to speak with him.

"Good morning, Mr. Novak"

"Mr. Winchester, I just wanted to take a moment to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I was surprised to see you here instead of Mrs. Simpson, and I know I can come off a bit...harsh."

Dean snorted involuntarily, then winced as Novak narrows his eyes at him.  _ Now who was being a dick?  _ Dean tries to cover his embarrassment with a cough before meeting Novak’s eyes and flashing his most charming smile.

"Not a problem Mr. Novak. All water under the bridge. I'm happy to see the boys back in my class today. They fit in so well with our group, we would have been sad to see them go."

Novak hums in agreement before glancing at the clock and pursing his plush pink lips. Dean has the urge to offer the other man some lip balm. The image of Novak slowly smearing chapstick on his lips until they shone danced across his mind for a split second.

_ Jesus I need to get laid if I’m fantasizing about chapstick.  _ He pretends to study the attendance list in his hands for a moment to hide the blush he can feel in his cheeks, but he's forced to look up as Novak starts talking again.

"Yes, well have a good day, Mr. Winchester. I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow." Just like that, Dean's been dismissed. Novak turns to squat in front of his children. He opens his arms for a hug, the public display of affection not seeming to bother either of the boys as they fall into their dad's embrace. Dean can hear the soft tone of Novak's voice as he tells Jamie and Teddy goodbye; it makes something inside him squirm a little. An old longing, long since buried, for his own father to show such easy affection.

A moment later, Novak is up and herding a giggling kindergartener out the door while Dean shakes off the odd feelings still fluttering around in his chest.

All in all, their interaction wasn't so bad. In fact, Dean thinks it was down right cordial compared to yesterday. Despite his odd fantasy, Dean even decides to chalk it up as a win. He can't help feeling a little more upbeat as he turns toward the noisy group of kids waiting to start class for the day.

Today, they were still easing into the new school year with an "All About Me!" project. Each kid received a printed template they could use to write or draw all the important things that make them unique: favorite colors, foods, activities, family members... those kinds of things. The purpose is to get to know his kids and for the kids to feel comfortable opening up with him.

Dean unfortunately makes the mistake of helping one little raven-haired girl draw a cat, and suddenly he's got a gaggle of kids all begging him to help them draw their own pictures. 

It was going to be a long day.

Ten minutes later -- after drawing 3 cats, 4 dogs, a guinea pig, an actual pig, and a very questionable looking horse -- Dean finally manages to shake the pleading demands for his subpar art so he can walk around and check on everyone's work. Next week, he'd get a few high school seniors volunteering as teacher’s assistants for credit in a Child Development course, and he was very much looking forward to the help. 

Scanning the classroom to make sure no one was eating glue or drawing anything inappropriate, Dean was starting to feel less like an imposter and more like a real teacher. It was early days yet, but he already felt attached to each one of the little booger-eaters.

While doing rounds, Dean sees Teddy sitting alone; Jamie has broken off to join a group of kids being  _ very  _ generous with glitter glue, so Dean wanders over to check on him. Between the two Novak boys, Teddy is proving to be much more reserved than his brother. But even when compared to the rest of the class, Teddy was painfully shy.

"Hey kiddo, how’s it goin' over here?"

He squats down next to the low table the boy was sitting at. Instead of desks, Dean's classroom had 6 tables divided into 3 with colored painter’s tape. The kids had been encouraged to move around while working on their project, and Dean had put different art supplies at each table in the hopes it would encourage the kids to get to know each other by interacting. Teddy's table had the color pencils, but it seems the flashier supplies like the glitter glue and sparkly stickers had called to the other kids like a siren song.

Teddy glances up from his work and flashes a shy smile when he sees he has Dean's full attention to himself.

"I don't know what else to write. I'm boring."

Teddy has an anxious look on his face, as if he's worried he's doing the project wrong, and it's so much like the look Sam used to give him while studying as a kid that Dean has to fight the urge to wrap his arms around the boy.

"How about I take a look and maybe I can help you with some suggestions? I'm sure you're not boring, Teddy -- everyone just has different things they like."

Teddy nods and slowly pushes his paper over with his eyes glued to the table top. Dean pulls the paper closer and sees neat little letters filling out all the prompts. The kid has impeccable handwriting, maybe even nicer than his own. Tiny little doodles without a single color out of place in all the allotted art spaces and a whole lot of blank white space make up the rest of the page. Dean can see the problem right away. Teddy has filled out the answer to each prompt with short and precise answers: no embellishments, no uneven letters or big messy scribbles of color, no glitter glue or sparkly stickers to draw the eye. 

He's filled it out like a test instead of as an extension of his personality. Although, Dean thinks as he glances at the shy boy, maybe it  _ is  _ his personality. 

"Hmmm, well it looks great to me Teddy, but if you wanted to add more, you can. For instance, right here you only wrote about your dad and brother and sister. What about your mom?"

Teddy gives him a confused look, so Dean taps his paper gently to bring his attention to the prompt.

"You still have lots of room here you could write about your mom or draw a family portrait."

Teddy still looks confused as he stares at the paper.

"But...it um, it says people you live with."

It's Dean's turn to look confused, his eyebrows coming together as he thinks. Finally, a lightbulb clicks and Dean feels like an idiot. Novak and Anna must be separated or divorced, which only makes him more curious about Novak. But he doesn't want to make Teddy feel bad, so he just gives the kid a reassuring smile.

"You're right Teddy, it does say that, my bad. Honestly kid, it looks great, but I've got some extra stickers that don't sparkle if you want to use some of those."

Now, the kid’s blue eyes light up in excitement.

"Do any of them have bugs on them?"

"Let me go check, and I'll be right back."

Dean heads over to his desk, sweeping his eyes along the rest of the class as he goes, to dig through his sticker drawer. Sure enough, he's got a whole sheet of little bug stickers mixed in with all the princesses and superheroes.

As he passes them off to Teddy, the little guy looks up, blue eyes shining with excitement.

"Thank you, Mr. Winchester! Did um, did you know a bee can fly 60 miles in a day when it's looking for food?!"

Dean blinks for a second before shaking his head.

"No, actually, I didn't know that! Do you like bees, then?"

"I  _ love  _ bees! I like all the bugs. Dad says I can be a en-to-mol-o-gist when I grow up. I'm even gettin' an ant farm for Christmas!"

Dean smiles at the careful way Teddy pronounces  _ entomologist _ ; it's actually pretty impressive hearing him say it.

"That's great, buddy! You know what, if it's not too big, maybe when you have your ant farm all set up you can bring it to class for a show and tell."

Teddy looks fit to burst, and Dean is delighted to see the kid opening up a little. He makes a mental note to try and incorporate more bug stuff into the curriculum or, at the very least, stock up on some cooler stickers. He'd love to keep listening to Teddy talk about bugs, but a squabble over whether or not you're allowed to have more than one favorite color draws him over to the other side of the room. 

………………….

By the time the school day has come to an end, Dean has about a dozen new ideas to help incorporate some of the children's interests into his coming lessons. He sees several trips to the dollar store in his future, but it will be worth it to see that spark the kids get when something really pulls them in.

While they're waiting in the pick up line, once again down to the Novak twins being his last kids, a bright blur catches his eye, and he looks over to see Honey Bea racing towards her brothers. She's laughing as she runs into them full steam and they catch her between them.

He raises his eyebrows and swivels to find the kindergarten teacher Miss Moseley still surrounded by a half dozen excited 5-year-olds. She doesn't look too happy with the youngest Novak at the moment, and he doesn't blame her. Pick up time was chaotic to say the least, and the last thing anyone wants is for a kid to wander off in the craziness.

He waves at the other teacher to let her know he'll handle it, and she gives him a grateful nod. Dean turns to address the little girl who is currently showing her brothers what looks like a finger painted unicorn farting rainbows.

"Hey, Honey Bea, right?"

The little girl stops talking immediately and looks at him with huge eyes. She glances at both her brothers first, whispering loudly, "He called me Honey Bea," before meeting his eyes and giving him a small nod. 

"Ok Honey Bea, I'm Mr. Winchester it's nice to meet you. Listen sweetheart, I know it's tempting to come and see your brothers, but it's very important to stay with your teacher until you get picked up. Since you're already here, I'm going to let you hang out, but tomorrow you need to stay with Miss Moseley. Got it?"

Honey Bea nods her head vigorously and finally gives him a big smile.

"I got it, Mr. Winchester! Wanna see my unicorn? I made it for my Daddy to help cheer him up."

She thrusts her painting up so he can see it, and sure enough it's a fat pink unicorn with a rainbow coming out of its butt and what he thinks might be some kind of mutant cowboy cat riding on its back. It's magnificent.

"Wow, that looks super special. I bet that will make it onto the fridge for sure."

Honey gasps and turns her paper to give it a more critical once over.

"You think so? I've never had a picture on the fridge before!"

Oh shit -- maybe Novak isn't the type of parent to put their kids’ artwork on the fridge? Dean looks to the boys for a clue, but they also look a little surprised and impressed. Damnit, he's going to have to try and tell Mrs. Novak on the sly so the poor kid doesn't get her heart broken.

Of course, that's when the redheaded woman decides to show up, waving her hands as she walks quickly up to them.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, I got stuck in traffic but I'm here." She gives Dean a wide smile, and this time Dean notices the subtle way she flicks her eyes up and down his body. It wasn't really shocking -- there had been more than one mom in the past couple days to do it -- but it did reaffirm his idea that the Novak parents were divorced.

"It's not a problem, Mrs. Novak. You still made it in time. Can I actually talk to you for a moment?"

She seems surprised and a touch worried as he leads her a few steps away from the kids. 

"Is everything alright? Should I call Castiel?"

Shaking his head, Dean quickly tells her about Honey Bea's painting and the comment he made about the fridge.

The worry on Anna's face is quickly replaced with humor.

"Well, it sounds like we may need to make a quick stop at the store for magnets. I'm sure Castiel will be happy to display Bea's picture on the fridge."

Dean breathes a sigh of relief at the easy way she accepts the little hiccup Dean caused. Some parents got upset over the smallest of things, but Anna didn't appear upset in the least. If anything, she seems more friendly as she asks about the kids’ day and how Dean is enjoying the school year so far. It's so nice to just talk with an adult for a moment that he doesn't realize at first that Anna is flirting with him... not until she reaches forward to give his arm a little reassuring squeeze before she turns away and gathers the kids to leave.

Dean's not sure how he feels about the interaction after fantasizing about her ex-husband most of the day, but mostly it's uncomfortable. He'll need to find a way to discourage her without making her feel bad.

He's distracted from his conflicting thoughts when Honey Bea darts over to wrap her arms around his legs in a tight hug before dashing off to catch up with her brothers. All three kids turn to wave their goodbyes while Dean watches them go with a fond smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok how are we feeling?
> 
> Next chapter we'll start to see more interaction between Dean and Castiel and maybe even get a little insight about the Novak family.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always a big thank you to @Beatrix_Kiddo for betaing 💙.
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy chapter 3! I've loved getting your comments and I'm happy y'all are enjoying the story so far.

* * *

The days quickly settled into a routine and Dean found himself looking forward every morning to the time Novak dropped off the twins. Some days the guy walked in looking like the living dead, some days just looking rumpled, but every time wearing some hideous hoodie or shirt that simultaneously made Dean want to laugh and groan.

Their interactions are mostly short, either an update on how Jamie and Teddy were doing in class or a simple “hello/goodbye.” Every morning the serious man would hug his boys goodbye, and every morning Dean would pretend not to be ogling him from across the room.

And each afternoon the youngest Novak still refused to stay with her own teacher, instead preferring to stand with Dean and her brothers during parent pick up. Since most of Dean's kids rode the bus, and because he got a kick out of the little booger, he offered to just keep an eye on her so Miss Moseley could focus on the rest of the wild kindergartners. 

After dodging Anna's attempts at flirting for an entire week, the woman appeared to have gotten the hint, and to Dean's relief, it hadn't created any ill feelings. She was still just as friendly as the first time they met when picking up the kids.

It only throws fuel on the fire of Dean's curiosity though, and he ends up spending an unhealthy amount of time pondering the home life of the Novaks. From what he's gathered, all three kids primarily live with their dad. While that wasn't unheard of, it was uncommon in a conservative state like theirs for a father to get primary custody unless there is something truly unfit with the mother. But Anna seems fine when he sees her in the afternoons and the kids are always happy to see her. Dean is dying to know the story, but unless someone offers him the information, he'll never know and it was eating him up inside.

Now though, over a month into the school year and coming up fast on Halloween, the Novak family is far from his mind. Dean is elbow deep in homemade pies, cookies, breads, and every other delicious kind of baked carbs you could think of. He wishes he could spend the day eating his way through the lot, but unfortunately none of it is for him. Somehow, as the resident new guy, he'd been roped into organizing the annual fundraising bake sale. Luckily, he'd gotten his two high school assistants, Kevin and Jack, before he was descended upon by the PTA.

Dean's stacking up a few pie boxes when he looks up just in time to see Jamie and Teddy stomp through the door, their father trailing in behind them. The dude looks exhausted as he makes his way over to Dean; Honey Bea, in contrast, is a bright ball of energy by his side. She zeroes in on Dean and quickly skips past her dad to give the teacher a bright smile before looking down at her feet and shaking her hair at him.

"Mr. Winchester! Look at my pigtails! Daddy did my hair for me."

Her excitement is infectious, and Dean can't help but to smile in the face of it.

"They look beautiful, Honey Bea. Your dad did a great job."

He aims his smile at Novak meaning to compliment him on his hair styling skills, only to see an odd look on the other man's face. Dean's not sure what to make of it but it has his insides squirming, so when he notices a plastic container in the man's hands he seizes on the opportunity to change the subject. 

"That for the bake sale?" He asks hopefully.

Novak nods and hands him a tupperware full of what looks like cookies. The boys have already gone to their seats and Honey is busy showing a few other kids her hair, so it's just the two of them for the moment. It's also the first time, Dean realizes, the boys haven't waited for a goodbye hug from their dad since the first day of school. 

Dean raises an eyebrow in question as he looks from the boys, to the tupperware, then back to Novak. Today is one of the man's more haggard days -- hair a mess, blue eyes tired, shoulders slumped like he's ready to just pass out where he's standing. He's wearing what looks like black scrub pants, and a red hoodie with the words "Cute Enough To Stop Your Heart, Skilled Enough To Restart It" in bold letters across the front.

_ Where does he find these fucking shirts? _

And if Dean's not mistaken, it almost looks like the man is blushing. 

"Sorry about them. They're a little unhappy with me this morning," Novak says as he nods at the boys, and no matter how many times he hears it, Dean will never get over how fucking deep the other man’s voice is. 

_ God, the things he could do with that voice alone...no, focus Dean, this is  _ **_not_ ** _ the time. _

"I can see that. Anything I should know about?"

Now Dean is  _ sure _ Novak is blushing. He looks over to see the boys making a point of not looking at them. Judging by the glares they're shooting their dad and the red cheeks on the boys’ faces, he'd guess that they were embarrassed about something. He cuts his eyes back over to Novak but still doesn't understand. The guy dresses like this every day and Jamie and Teddy never even bat an eye, so what was different?

He looks down at the tupperware in his hands and back up at Novak a few times trying to puzzle out the reason behind the twins’ weird attitude. He can feel the weight of Novak's eyes on him as he finally grasps the edge of the tupperware and slowly pulls the lid off the top of the container, only to burst out laughing.

"Oh my god Castiel, are these oreos?" He's laughing so hard, he doesn't even notice his slip up with Novak's name. "Castiel, Cas, did you open a package of oreos and put them in tupperware to look like you  _ baked  _ them?"

Novak's face goes as red as a tomato, and Dean is positively wheezing.

"Unfortunately, the bake sale slipped my mind until this morning when Jamie reminded me. I didn't have time to do anything homemade, and the boys were upset. I was trying to find a compromise."

Dean tries to reign in his laughter, but something about the thought of this serious man in his weird ass hoodie all grumpy with squinty eyes carefully placing the store-bought cookies into his nice tupperware sends him off again. 

"I can take them back. I just didn't want the boys to be the only ones not contributing."

Dean manages to calm himself for the most part as he wipes tears from his eyes. He doesn't want to give the poor guy a complex.

"No no, Cas, this is great. Honestly, every bit helps, thank you."

Novak stares him down for a second, no doubt trying to figure out if Dean is teasing him, then gives him one curt nod before gathering his daughter and sweeping out the door. Dean's still chuckling even as he watches him leave.

…………….

It's almost a week after the bake sale incident when Dean runs into Novak at the park,  _ literally. _

Dean had been walking backwards, his eyes on the football barrelling towards his head when he slams into something solid behind him and goes down  _ hard _ .

Turns out the something solid was the sturdy frame of the guy he's been crushing on since the first day of school. 

He scrambles up to his feet to offer the stunned man his hand only to get smacked in the back of his head by the football he'd forgotten was still flying through the air.

"Ow  _ shit _ !" He grabs his head with both hands as he glares down at the offending ball. 

"Dean! Dean, are you ok?"

Dean turns at the call of his name to see Ben running towards him, his young face pinched in worry.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay, I think it's Mr. Novak here that took the brunt of it."

He looks down to Novak who's still sprawled on the ground with a look of shock on his face. He bends down to offer Novak a hand, and between him and Ben they manage to haul the guy up and brush him off.

"Sorry dude, I didn't see you there. Are you alright? Did you hit your head?"

Despite looking a little winded from being knocked down, Dean can't help but notice that Novak looks good today. That look like he's ready to drop from exhaustion is missing, and instead of a hideous sweater or tongue-in-cheek novelty shirt, the guy's wearing dark jeans and a navy pullover that makes his blue eyes stand out in a breathtaking way. 

Novak opens his mouth to respond but is promptly interrupted by a loud cry.

"Mr. Winchester!"

Honey Bea hits his legs at full speed, and only his grip on Novak's hand keeps him on his feet, which only serves to make him realize he's basically holding hands with the guy. Dean drops Novak's (big, warm, strong) hand like he's been burned and takes a hasty step away. Or at least he tries to. Honey Bea is still gripping him with surprising strength for such a little thing, so he just gives up, lets out a huff of laughter, and ruffles her sandy hair.

"Hey, Honey Bea. Good to see you, sweetheart."

She starts bouncing up and down while still holding his legs and squealing in excitement. He desperately looks to Novak for help, but once again the dark haired man is staring at him with an odd expression on his face… a lot like that weird moment back on the day of the bake sale. 

"Oh! Is this your kid, Mr. Winchester?"

Honey has switched her attention to Ben who's standing off to the side, anxiously shifting from one foot to another. This seems to snap Novak out of whatever trance he was in, and he steps forward to remove the little girl from Dean's legs.

"Bea, don't be rude. Also, what did I tell you about hugging people without their permission?"

Honey looks down at her feet with her lips screwed into a pout.

"Not ta do it."

Dean doesn't know how Novak does it, because if he had to look at that adorable pout every day, there in not a chance in this world he'd be able to deny that child anything. 

"That's right. So what should you do?"

"Um...Apologize?"

Novak nods and Honey turns to Dean, looks up through her lashes with big sad blue eyes.

"Sorry, Mr. Winchester."

It's on the tip of his tongue to brush the whole thing off like it was no big deal, but looking up into the pleading depths of Novak's eyes has him hesitating. He gives a little wink to let the guy know he's got his back before squatting down to talk to Honey at eye level.

"Well, sweetheart, I appreciate you saying sorry and you did a real good job listening to your dad. He's right, you should always ask permission before touching someone. I also know you're still learning and sometimes you'll make mistakes, and that's ok, too. So now," and here he flashes her a bright smile," I guess it's my turn to ask you if  _ I _ can give  _ you _ a hug."

She's smiling again and nodding quickly by the time he's done talking so Dean holds his arms out for her to fall into. After a little pat on the girl’s back, he stands up again. 

"Um, Dean, is it cool if I go toss the ball with Danny while you talk?" Ben looks hopeful as he waits for Dean's answer, looking a bit out of his element.

"Yeah, sure thing kid, just stay where I can see ya."

He watches as the preteen jogs back to the small group of boys hanging out on the sports field. Guilt twists his gut a little that he's standing here with Novak and Honey instead of with Ben when he gets such little time with the kid as it is.

"He looks like you."

Dean shoots a confused look at Novak so the man clarifies, "Your son, he looks a lot like you."

"Ah, no Ben's not mine. But don't worry, I hear that a lot."

"Oh, is he a nephew?"

Dean smirks at the thinly veiled curiosity on Novak's face but decides to cut the guy a little slack since he did knock him down and all. 

"Nah, we're not related. I'm his mentor, like a big brother program, I take him out for some one-on-one time a couple weekends a month. Gives his mom a break and gives him another adult support person."

Novak's eyes go soft, and he's smiling at Dean for the first time ever. It's just a small thing, almost reluctant, but Dean has never been more proud of himself for being the one who put it there.

"That's very admirable of you, Mr. Winchester-"

"Please call me Dean."

"Dean, and of course call me Castiel. Like I was saying, that's very admirable of you to give up your free time like that."

Dean shrugs, uncomfortable with the praise. He can relate to growing up in a less than ideal situation. While Ben's mom Lisa was doing a kick ass job, he knows everyone could use help now and again. To Dean, it seems like it's just the right thing to do, to give his time; it’s not like it's something worth praise. So it's always hard for him to accept those kinds of compliments.

"Eh, it's no big deal. I like helping out, and Ben's a good kid. I've been paired with him for goin' on three years at this point, so he's practically family."

The sound of pounding feet catches Dean's attention. The twins are racing down the hill from the playground, red faced and laughing, Jamie barely in the lead. They don't look like they plan on slowing down anytime soon, and Dean braces himself for an impact that never comes. Instead, the boys zoom past the little group headed for what looks like a trash can. Jamie reaches it first, slapping the lid hard and giving a loud whoop. Teddy is only a breath behind him as he slows to a stop and groans when he realizes he's been beat.

It reminds Dean of summers spent with his brother Sammy when they were little and has nostalgia gripping his chest tightly. He should call Sam tonight and see how things were down in California. 

The boys start to make their way over, at a much slower pace, Teddy spots Dean first, his eyes lighting up as he rushes over to say hello.

"Mr. Winchester! What are you doing here?"

As both boys come to a stop in front of Dean, he's suddenly aware that he's surrounded by Novaks. It's not an unappealing situation to find himself in, to be honest.

"Hey Teddy, hello Jamie. I'm just here playing football with a friend. What are you guys doing here?"

Dean's looking at Teddy, but it's Honey who answers.

"It's family fun day! Daddy doesn't have'ta work so we get to do fun stuff all day!"

"Yeah we all get to pick anything we wanna do and no matter what it is, we do it!" Jamie sounds particularly excited about that part.

"We're going to the movies next. That was my pick. We're going to see the new  _ Frozen _ movie!" Teddy puffs out his chest, obviously proud of his choice.

"Oh man, that sounds awesome Teddy. I heard it's even better than the first one."

The kids keep talking a mile a minute trying to tell him all the things they had planned for the day and all the cool stuff they did on previous family fun days. He can barely keep up with who is saying what when Castiel steps in to save him.

"Alright kids, that's enough, give Mr. Winchester some space."

"Daddy, can Mr. Winchester come to the movies with us? Please please please?"

Before Dean has to worry about how to turn down the sweet offer, Castiel is already shaking his head at his daughter.

"Bea, I think Mr. Winchester has his own plans for the day. Remember, he's here with a friend already?"

Judging by the pout on the little girl’s face, she wasn't happy about having her idea shot down. Dean can't stand the sight of her eyes filling with tears, so he quickly tries to reassure her.

"That's true, Honey Bea. I've got Ben with me and he has to be home for dinner or his mom will miss him. But I'll see you Monday at school."

"Ben has to eat dinner with his mommy?"

Dean nods, glad she seems to be understanding and calming down.

"I don't have a mommy."

Castiel sucks in a sharp breath, and Dean nearly chokes on his own spit. 

"O-oh I didn't know that."

He glances over to Castiel but the guy looks like he's having a brain aneurysm, so he focuses back on the little girl in front of him. She doesn't look sad about not having a mom, just matter-of-fact.

"I used to have two daddies, but now I only have one ‘cause Daddy got a de-force. That's when you stop bein' married."

Castiel laughs high and nervous as he grabs Honey and swings her up into his arms.

"Okay Honey Bea, that's enough out of you."

Dean can see the tense way Castiel is standing as if he's ready to grab his kids and run if this new information turns into trouble. He knows he should say something reassuring to let Castiel know that he was safe here, but all he can think about is that the "straight" guy he's been crushing on is not so straight after all.

Castiel starts to move like he plans to walk away, and Dean realizes he's let the silence stretch on too long. He desperately tries to think of something to say to save the moment, but instead he blurts out the first thought that comes to mind.

"I'm bi."

Castiel freezes and looks at him with wide surprised eyes, and Dean panics. Shit, this is not going well.

"What's bi mean?" Teddy is looking at him, his head tilted slightly to the side, with open and honest curiosity. The whole thing is beyond ridiculous, and suddenly he's laughing. It starts out as a quiet chuckle but soon grows to something slightly hysterical. Castiel starts in as well until they're both laughing with tears in their eyes, while all three kids look at them like they've lost their minds.

When Teddy asks in a quiet voice if they were laughing at him, the men quickly sober.

Castiel reaches out to run his fingers through his son's hair gently, a fond smile on his face.

"No sweet boy, we're not laughing at you at all. Sometimes grown ups just have an odd way of seeing things. When someone says they're bi, it means that they are attracted to both men and women. They might have a girlfriend  _ or  _ a boyfriend. Does that make sense?"

Teddy nods solemnly before turning to give Dean a thoughtful look.

"Do you have a boyfriend, Mr. Winchester?"

"Or a girlfriend?" Jamie chimes in.

Now it's Dean who turns red as the boys look at him expectantly.

"Uh no, sorry to disappoint but it's just me, no boyfriend or girlfriend."

"You're alone like Daddy? That's ok cause we'll keep you company."

Dean looks at Honey as she's resting her head on Castiel's shoulder, both boys are nodding their heads in agreement, and poor Castiel looks equal parts mortified and proud of his children. Dean feels his heart flutter looking at four sets of blue eyes.

"Thank you, Honey Bea."

She gives him a blinding smile, and he'd like nothing more than to stand there and explore whatever this is that's happening, but Ben starts calling his name and he knows he's neglected him too long as is. He gives the kids high fives and a slightly awkward goodbye to Castiel, promises to see them all Monday, and jogs back over to the sports field to hang with Ben trying to figure out if what just happened was a good thing or a bad thing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 2am which makes it Tuesday! Here is chapter 4 for all you awesome readers. Please enjoy!
> 
> As always a big shout out to @Beatrix_Kiddo for betaing.

* * *

♡

The classroom is utter chaos as eighteen kids attempted to be the first ones to get their costumes on. Dean counted at least six Fortnite outfits, three different types of fairies, and a surprisingly low amount of super heroes. Teddy and Jamie were both dressed in homemade bee costumes. They had black shirts and pants on with what looked like yellow duct tape across their shirts for stripes. With the addition of fuzzy antenna headbands and bee wings, they looked absolutely adorable. Honey Bea had also been dressed similarly when Dean saw her in the halls, only with a big puffy yellow skirt made of tulle. 

After a full day of "spooky" math, mad scientist science, and finishing their read along for the month of "Bunnicula" (which Dean plans on turning into a yearly tradition), it was finally time for the Halloween party. It was scheduled for the end of the day in the hopes the kids would be home before the sugar high from all the candy kicked in.

First on the agenda was a costume parade the whole school participated in. They took turns walking around the track outside to show off their outfits before returning to their individual classrooms for treats and a short movie. Dean planned on playing "Room on the Broom," since he knew a lot of the kids had read the book during library time. Parents were invited to come for the parade and party and to even dress up, but only a few showed for Dean's class, and none of them were dressed up. 

Dean's finally got the kids in line and dressed, his own Batman mask and cape firmly in place, when a commotion at the door draws everyone's attention. There, standing in the doorway, is Castiel dressed head-to-toe in black with a giant beehive cut out of yellow poster board, complete with glittery gold honey accents, hanging off his shoulders and a magnificent flower crown atop his head. When he realizes everyone is staring at him, his cheeks light up in a blush that only serves to make his eyes shine that much brighter. 

Dean's pretty sure his heart has literally stopped in his chest. How the hell does someone look that beautiful while dressed as a fucking beehive?

The sound of voices in the hall growing louder by the second shakes Dean back into action. If he gets his class out late, then it will just throw off every group after him. 

"Alright class, everyone stay in line and let’s get movin'. Hector, eyes forward, Hailey, don't swing your wand around, you'll poke out an eye. Ok, here we go."

Castiel slinks into the room to stand with his boys who are bouncing in excitement now that their dad has joined them. They're quite the sight together, and Dean can only imagine how cute they will look when Honey joins them.

The other adults fall in line next to their respective children, and Jack takes up the rear to make sure no one is left behind. Kevin stays in the classroom to wipe down tables and set up the party.

Dean had spent hours on Pinterest trying to plan the perfect Halloween party. He had a station set up for making Oreo spiders and a cauldron of "Witches’ Brew" fruit punch, and each kid had their own miniature pumpkin to decorate.

As they're making their way out to the track, he feels a tug on his sleeve. He turns to see Castiel giving him a small smile.

"Dean, I was wondering if it would be ok to collect Bea from her class and have her join me at the boys’ party? There really isn't enough time for me to attend both."

Shit, he looks so cute all bashful like that, and the flower crown was really working for him.

Dean does some quick mental inventory, but he knows he bought plenty of supplies for an extra kid. He had expected a lot more parents to show up.

"Sure thing, Castiel. Just check with her teacher first, but we have plenty of stuff for Honey Bea to join."

Castiel's brows come together in a curious look and he opens his mouth to speak but quickly seems to change his mind and shuts it just as fast. 

"Thank you, Dean. I really appreciate it. I'll go collect her and come back so we can walk together."

Dean gives a distracted nod. He can see one of his girls, Elizabeth, not looking where she's going, which is a recipe for disaster as the girl was a bit accident prone.

A few minutes later they're taking their lap around the track, and Castiel is back in line now, a complete set of little bees with their hive. Dean almost wishes they did some kind of costume contest. He wonders if Cas will let him take a picture if he tells him it’s to commemorate his first year of teaching.

Once they're all back in the classroom and the kids are at their different stations using frosting to stick pretzel legs to their spiders and dumping unfortunate amounts of glitter onto their pumpkins, Dean gets a moment to talk to each parent.

He catches Castiel by the punch bowl; the gold glitter from his beehive has managed to spread onto the rest of his clothes. The light is catching on all of the tiny specks, making him glow in the harsh fluorescent overhead lights. Butterflies burst into a flurry in Dean's stomach at the sight, even as he tries to keep his cool.

"Hey Cas, having fun?"

Castiel positively beams at him, taking Dean completely by surprise, sending his stomach into another swoop and flutter. Castiel on his own is gorgeous, but Castiel smiling is fucking _magnificent_.

"Oh yes, Dean. This is a lot of fun, I wasn't really expecting all this from a public school to be honest."

Dean's not sure if he should be offended or feel complimented by that, and it must show on his face because Castiel backpedals quickly.

"That came out wrong, I'm sorry Dean. What I meant was that, never having attended a public school myself and this being the children's first year as well, I didn't really know what to expect."

Where did this guy come from? All sorts of ideas started to ping through Dean's head about Castiel's back story, but he just found himself more frustrated than ever.

"You never went to public school?"

Castiel looked down at his feet, and Dean could see a faint blush creeping up his neck.

"No, I'm afraid not. My mother was the homeschooling type. Anna and I didn't attend a single class outside of the home until after we had turned eighteen."

Dean knows the way he's gaping must be rude, but he can't help it. 

"Wow Cas, that must have been one hell of an adjustment." 

Now Cas just looked sad as he shifts his gaze over to his three children happily decorating tiny pumpkins.

"Yes, you're certainly right about that."

It's obviously a sore subject for Cas, so Dean decides to shift the conversation before it gets any worse.

"Well, you seem to be doing all right now. Are you planning on taking the kiddos trick or treating later? I know all the best stops, houses that give out full candy bars, if you need any pointers."

Cas gives him a fond smile but shakes his head.

"Thank you but that won't be necessary, Dean. Jamie would love to stay out all night but Teddy scares easily and my Honey Bea turns into a bit of a monster past her bedtime, so we'll just be going around our block before turning in for the night. What about you? Any wild after school parties in your near future?"

Dean shakes his head firmly, repressing a shudder. He'd done the bar scene in his early twenties, but after the shit show that went down with his ex Lisa, he couldn't stomach it. A drink here and there at the old Roadhouse before the crowds was about all he got up to these days.

"Nah man, my partying days are over. Not that I'm upset about it. I like passing out candy instead, it keeps the kid in me alive." 

The conversation shifts into more neutral territory about how Teddy and Jamie are doing in class, and pretty soon it's time to say goodbye and send everyone home, but not before Dean manages to get everyone in for one big group photo.

Dean lets Jack and Kevin out of clean up duty so they can head home and start having their own Halloween fun. As he's straightening up his class, he thinks about how at least one question he's had about the Novaks has finally been answered: Anna is Castiel's sister. He mulls over the rest of what he learned as he's wiping desks and tossing away the remains of their snacks.

If anything, Castiel seemed even more mysterious than before, which only left Dean wanting to know more about the other man.

  
  


♡

  
  


The late November air sends a chill down Dean's spine, and he stamps his feet in a vain attempt to keep his toes from going numb. The Novak kids are huddled next to him in jackets so puffy, poor Honey's arms are stuck out from her sides like a little penguin. It would be hilarious if Dean himself wasn't freezing his nuts off. He's really got to remember to get a heavier jacket. At least today was the last school day until after Thanksgiving break.

He glances down at his watch for the third time in the last 5 minutes. It's not unusual for Anna to be the last one to arrive for pick up, but this was late even for her. School pick up started at a quarter after 2:00 and by 2:45 usually the place is cleared out, but it was closing in on 3:00 with no sign of Anna.

"Alright kids, let’s move this party to the office and see if we can find out what's happening."

He leads the three kids down the breeze way to the main office, all of them waddling in their winter coats. As soon as they walk through the door, heat blasts Dean in the face. God bless the school secretary Mrs Perkins for being almost 80 years old and insisting on cranking up the thermostat until everyone was sweating. He'll be cursing it come summer, but for now it was perfect. 

The old woman clicks her tongue as she sees them file in. Mrs Perkins is very sweet, but she has a low tolerance for people who don't follow the rules, including tardy guardians. The kids stand in a huddle looking out the big window facing the front of the school where the pick up line starts with anxious eyes. They've been suspiciously quiet since it became obvious Anna was later than usual.

Dean plucks three peppermints out of the small candy dish kept by the parent sign in sheet and gives one to each kid, hoping to distract them from the worry that he's starting to feel himself. The candy is supposed to be for guests only, but Dean figures there's no one here to complain. 

He gets a glare from Perkins but he waves her off. 

"Have you heard anything from Ms. Novak?"

She shakes her head no, and Dean's stomach sinks. He has a hard time not immediately jumping to the worst kinds of conclusions, but he tries to keep it together so as not to scare the kids.

"Could you give her a call? I'll call Mr. Novak to see if he knows anything."

Perkins pulls out a large binder, flipping through pages until she finds the right one. She dials Anna's number while Dean slides the file over and uses his cell to dial the number under Castiel’s contact information.

It goes straight to voicemail, and the pit in Dean's stomach opens up even wider. He can hear Perkins leaving a voicemail for Anna. Shit, he doesn't even know what the protocol is for kids that don't get picked up. Should he drive them home? Did Honey still need a carseat?

He goes to sit on the bench by the window where the kids have congregated to keep them company. Perkins continues calling, but Dean had seen the file; Anna was the only emergency contact down for all three kids. It's a good ten minutes before Honey comes over to him looking on the verge of tears.

"Mr. Winchester, can I sit on your lap?"

Dean gives her an encouraging smile and pats the bench next to him.

"How about you sit here next to me instead, and I can give you a hug."

She scrambles up to his side, her puffy jacket so big and stiff she can barely snuggle into him. Dean drapes his arm over her shoulders to give a little squeeze. A moment later the boys are also on the bench, Teddy under Dean's other arm and Jamie under Teddy's. It was a somber snuggle pile as they all sat in silence waiting for word of Anna.

It seemed a bit dramatic, but one thing Dean has learned since he started working with kids is that they don't feel anything by half. Every emotion is big and all consuming when you're small, and right now the Novak children were feeling the sting of being left at school for the first time. Dean can remember the first time John forgot to pick him up. He'd sat at the school for over an hour before a teacher drove him home.

The distinct sound of sniffles alerts him to the first wave of tears. To Dean's surprise, it's Teddy that's quietly crying into his chest and not Honey Bea who had looked on the verge of tears for the last ten minutes.

"Hey, hey buddy, it's ok. There was just a mix up somewhere, and your dad or Anna will be here soon." Dean's not sure who he's trying to reassure more, the kids or himself.

All three sets of watery blue eyes look up at him silently asking for answers. Dean feels a little lost. With no news and no idea what happens next, all he knows is that he doesn't want the kids to panic. It could be as simple as a flat tire and a dead cell phone keeping them all in suspense. _Or_ , Dean's mind supplies unhelpfully, _it could be something much worse._

It's Honey that breaks the silence that had settled around them.

"Daddy Jay went away and never came back. That's why we only have one Daddy ‘stead of two. What if Daddy or Anna never comes and then we have no one?"

_Ah shit. He's nowhere near qualified to handle this_.

"Oh Honey no-"

The sound of the door banging open makes him jump in his seat, but it's relief that floods his body when he sees Castiel standing there wild-eyed and disheveled.

"I'm here, I'm here, god I'm so sorry."

Castiel rushes forward to scoop Honey into his arms, the boys both jumping up to cling to his sides. The distraught man leans down to drop kisses onto the boys’ heads. He's a mess, old sweats, a ratty t-shirt with no jacket, thick framed glasses perched on his nose and his hair sticking up in wild tangles like he'd just rolled out of bed. Which, on second thought, might be exactly what happened.

"I'm so sorry, sweethearts. It seems Anna is very sick with the flu, my phone was off, and I didn't get her messages."

"We thought you weren't comin' ever," Honey wails as she clings tighter around Cas' neck.

"Oh my little Honey Bea, you never have to worry about that. I'll always come for you, for all three of you. Always. I'm sorry you were scared. I won't let this happen ever again, I promise."

"Can we just go home now, Dad?" Jamie asks in a muffled voice from where is face is smushed into Castiel's shirt.

"Of course we can, Jamie. Come on, let’s get in the car. I left it running right out front so it would stay warm."

He looks up to catch Dean's eyes and mouth "thank you" from over the kids heads. Dean just gives him a smile and a nod. He doesn't want to keep the little family any longer. The kids obviously needed their dad's attention right now. He watches them go quietly until Cas' car is no longer in view. As happy as he is that the whole thing was a simple mistake, it still leaves him with an antsy energy squirming just under his skin. 

The worry had been real and potent, and Honey talking about their other dad just leaving and never coming back had anger simmering low in his gut. Dean doesn't know the reason for Castiel's divorce, but no kid deserves to feel like that.

He retreats to his classroom to gather his stuff and shut down his computer. He tries to relax and let the odd feelings inside him go by thinking of his brother coming into town for the break and the things he has planned for his visit. He's just climbing into his car when his phone vibrates with a text message from an unknown number.

  
  


Sender: Unknown

_Thank you Dean. For everything. I'm glad the kids had you with them this afternoon. Have a happy Thanksgiving. We'll see you after the break._

_-Castiel_

  
Suddenly the anxious feelings churning in Dean's gut settles down and he smiles softly down at his phone. He types out a quick reply and then starts his car to head home.

To: Castiel

_Anytime Cas. Happy Thanksgiving and see you all soon._

_-Dean_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok y'all what did you think?
> 
> Next chapter we see a little shift in dynamic as Dean and Cas spend a little time together without the kiddos.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday y'all! Hope everyone's having a good start to the new year. Who's ready for Supernatural this Thursday? 
> 
> So this chapter was originally going to be the one where we saw more one on one with Dean and Cas but I ended up having to split it in two due to length. But I think y'all are still going to enjoy this one 😉.
> 
> As always a big thanks to @Beatrix_Kiddo for being a super amazing beta!
> 
> Please enjoy chapter 5!

* * *

The sun streaming in through open curtains has Dean blinking awake slowly. It's Sunday, the last day of Thanksgiving break and also the last day Sam would be in town. It's been a great week with a lot of good food, and Sam always has some wild story to tell about the latest class he's taking or the people he's met. Dean’s house has been full of life and unbridled laughter for six full days. and the thought of saying goodbye and going back to his quiet lonely routine has a wave of melancholy washing over him. 

When his brother Sam, fresh faced and just this side of eighteen, had first told Dean about his plans to put an entire continent between them, it had caused a huge falling out between the two men. For Sam, it had felt like his chance to strike out on his own and carve out an adventure just for himself. For Dean, it had felt like he was being abandoned by the only family he had left in this world.

Their dad had moved them around for years, living from paycheck to paycheck and city to city, always chasing that dream of the grass being greener anywhere else but wherever they were. Sam doesn't remember it, but there was even a year they lived right out of their dad's old ‘67 Impala, but Dean remembers. He remembers the feeling of always being the new kid. Always being just a little bit too "other" to make friends.

When they had finally settled in Oregon and Dean was given the chance to put down roots, he vowed to live out his life in the sleepy little town, with dreams of having his own family who grew up in the same house, having barbecues and inviting the neighbors, retiring to a cabin in the woods where he could spend his golden years fishing, and rocking chairs on the porch with his future spouse.

Not Sam, though. His big brain wouldn't let him be satisfied with staying in one place. If he's honest with himself, Dean had always known Sam would leave him one day. After Sam got accepted into college, that was it -- he's gone from one research study to another just adding more and more years to his schooling in his unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Mostly, Sam studied ancient lore and mythology, but he was known for taking any class that struck his fancy. He's gotten to be such an expert in mythology that he is often invited to speak at schools around the country.

Dean lets out a deep breath; he's long since come to terms with the fact that Sam's life isn't in the small Oregon town Dean calls home, but even so, saying goodbye to his little brother will always be bittersweet. 

With great effort, Dean rallies the energy to climb out of bed and get ready for the day. They didn't have anything planned beyond Sam getting his stuff together and Dean moping around the house while pretending he's fine. Sam doesn't fly out until the late evening, so they really do have the whole day together.

Dean can only handle pouting until dinnertime when he cracks and goes to find Sam. It doesn't take much convincing on Dean's part to get Sam out on the town for one last hurrah before his red eye back to Pennsylvania. 

Not that it was so much a hurrah as it was them hitting up Dean's favorite diner and then walking around town to see the annual town lighting ceremony that happens the weekend after Thanksgiving every year. The whole town is strung up with twinkling lights, fresh sweet smelling garland, and big red ribbons. It was picturesque and only  _ kind of _ reminded Dean that he had yet another Christmas alone to look forward to since Sam would be in Egypt on some kind of nerdy adventure. Dean may have stopped listening as soon as he realized Sam planned on ditching him for the holiday.

They're making their way back to Dean's car, their warm breaths making little clouds in the cool night air, when a faint sound catches Dean's ear. At first it sounds like a baby crying but that couldn't be right. It was well past time to be out with a baby small enough to sound like that and the night was freezing. The sound came again and Dean stopped to try and focus on the faint noise.

"Wait Sam, hold up. Do you hear that?"

Sam stops too, holding still and tilting his head gently to the side to try and catch whatever Dean is hearing. A few minutes pass before a very faint distressed "meow" sounds from the trees to their left.

Sam relaxes and gives Dean an amused look.

"It's just a cat, Dean."

"Yeah, but it sounds scared."

Dean starts to follow the sad cries until he reaches the base of a huge tree. Staring hard up into the branches, he can just make out a slightly darker shadow sitting about three feet above his head. The cries get louder as he gets closer. 

"Found it. I think it's stuck up there in the branches. Come here and let me use the flashlight on your phone, mine's dead."

Sam jogs over and hands Dean his phone without argument. He gets the light on and shines it up into the tree and there. Clinging to a branch is a tiny black kitten, or mostly black; its face almost looks half grey, probably no more than eight or ten weeks old. But what really grabs Dean's attention is the thing’s blue eyes staring down at him begging to be rescued. As if he didn't already have enough blue eyes occupying his thoughts.

The fluff ball meows pathetically at Dean as if it was asking him specifically for help and Dean knows he's lost. 

_ 'Goddamn bleeding heart's gonna get me in trouble one of these days. _ '

"Shit, ok man, I'm gonna climb up and get it. Who knows how long it's been stuck up there."

Dean hands Sam back his phone, ignoring his brother’s protests that this was a bad idea. Dean hasn't climbed a tree in years, and he can feel it when he starts huffing and puffing only two feet off the ground.

' _ Gotta lay off the burgers, Winchester _ .'

"Be careful, Dean," Sam's worried voice calls out.

"Yeah, yeah, you know me. Mr. Safety." 

Struggling until the kitten's only a branch above him, Dean stretches one arm out while keeping a death grip with the other on his own branch. He didn't realize just how far up he'd be when he started climbing, and now the ground seemed to be swirling below his feet. 

He tries crooning softly to get the frightened cat to come closer.

" _ Tck tck tck _ , kitty, kitty, come on little dude, work with me here."

The kitten just blinks his big eyes and continues its sad cries. Fuck, he's so close he can feel the soft brush of the kitten’s fur against his outstretched fingers. The kitten meows pathetically and remains stubbornly out of reach. If he could just get a little closer, he could grab it. In the dark, all Dean could see was the crazy blue of the kitten’s eyes, its black fur blending into the night surrounding them.

"Dean, come on man, that branch doesn't look like it's going to hold much longer."

"Was that a fat joke?" Dean knows the joke falls flat with the way he puffs it out as he strains to reach the stranded kitten. His hand is just closing around a soft paw when the branch below his feet gives an ominous moan right before it snaps completely. The kitten slips out of his hand and Dean barks out a startled yelp as he plummets back to the ground. He hits the dirt hard, only about three feet from where Sam is standing with his arms outstretched like he planned on catching him. Pain shoots through his right leg so intensely that his vision whites out. He doesn't lose consciousness, but it's a close thing.

Sam's blinking at him owlishly from where he stands with his arms still extended as if his body hasn't quite caught up to what he's looking at.

Suddenly a warm weight drops onto his gut knocking the breath out of him. It's the fucking kitten, making itself at home on his stomach while Dean sits there like a dumbass with what feels to be a broken leg.

" _ Shit! _ Dean, are you ok?" Sam's brain has finally come back online, and he quickly drops down next to his brother checking him over for damage. Dean grits his teeth as the kitten starts purring.

"Do I look like I'm ok? Fuck man, I think my leg is broken."

"Ok...ok what do you want me to do? Should I call an ambulance? We're like a twenty minute walk from the car still."

Dean looks at the little black fluff ball now sleeping on his stomach and wonders what he did in a past life to deserve this.

"Fuck no, Sam. I can't afford that. Do you have any idea the type of shitty insurance I get as a teacher? No just… just leave me here and bring the car around you can drive me to the ER."

"I don't know, Dean. I don't think it's a good idea to leave you alone."

"I'm fine. It's not like this is a dangerous neighborhood, and there hasn't been a cougar sighting in over a month."

Sam's face screws up into a pinched look. " _ Ha ha _ , Dean. You're literally lying here with a broken leg, but sure you're ‘fine.’”

Dean is in too much pain to keep up the argument and instead focuses on the warm weight of the kitten curled on top of him. He brushed his fingers lightly through its soft fur and realizes he already plans on keeping the damn thing. 

"Sam, can you just go get the car?! I'm not gonna lie, this hurts like a bitch but I can handle it until you come back."

Sam's face goes on a journey as Dean watches him decide if he should go or just call the damn ambulance. Dean knows he's won when his brother lets out a tired sigh and holds his big hand out for the keys.

Dean's sure he'd look smug handing them over, too, if he wasn't actively trying to keep his pain from showing on his face. He must not be doing a very good job though, because Sam looks like he's seconds away from changing his mind.

"Here, at least take my phone Dean. It would make me feel better. I'll take yours and plug it in when I get to the car."

He grunts an agreement and waves Sam off. The sooner Sam leaves, the sooner he gets back and Dean can get to the hospital. Sam reluctantly starts heading toward the car, looking back every few minutes until he has to round the corner at the end of the block.

"Well," Dean says as he cups his hands around his new little friend, "looks like it's just you and me now."

He strokes along the kitten’s back absently, his mind floating in a weird haze of pain as he waits for Sam. It's a cold night but luckily not raining and Dean had managed to remember his  _ good _ coat at least. 

A familiar low rumble signals the arrival of Sam. Dean's car was a classic and his most prized possession. The same '67 Chevy Impala that had been his father's had passed to him, and it had taken Dean dozens of weekends to restore the car after years of his dad’s neglect. Now it rolled down the street sleek and shiny under the streetlamps, the purr of its engine a balm to Dean's frayed nerves.

The car rumbles to a stop at the curb, and Sam pops out of the driver’s side quickly. He opens the door to the backseat before jogging over to where Dean is still sprawled on the ground holding his new friend. The kitten hasn't budged from its spot, and despite his pain, Dean feels a little guilty for disturbing its rest. 

Sam squats down to get under one of Dean's arms, the other one holding the kitten tight to his chest, and with a lot of grunting and a few curses, manages to get Dean up on his good leg. Sam wraps one arm tight around Dean's waist and grabs the arm around his shoulder with the other and slowly they hobble to Dean's waiting car.

It's fucking agony. There's only a few feet between where Dean fell and the car, but every little hop he has to take to get closer to the vehicle shoots pain straight up his injured leg. He's fighting back tears by the time Sam helps him slide into the backseat, not that he plans on crying in front of Sam anytime soon. He's still clutching the damn cat in his arms, and Sam's eyeing it thoughtfully.

"You know they won't let you take it into the ER with you, right?"

"Just get in the damn car, Sammy." Dean is too tired and in too much pain to argue logistics at the moment so instead he lets himself zone out as Sam hops in and quickly drives them to the hospital.

For such a small town they have a surprisingly modern hospital. It towers above most of the buildings around it, making it a kind of beacon to those looking for help. Sam pulls up quickly to the front doors and runs inside to get help, leaving Dean and his new fuzzy buddy to wait in the car.

He sighs in relief when he sees Sam coming back out with two orderlies and a wheelchair. With reluctance, he passes off the kitten, who has finally woken up and looks unimpressed with current events, to Sam and lets himself be manhandled into the wheelchair. 

"I'll park the car and meet you inside. What should I do with the cat?"

"I don't know Sam, but don't lose it. I broke bones for that little shit. It's living with me for the rest of its life as punishment."

Sam rolls his eyes but hustles to move the car. As he's wheeled into the hospital, Dean feels anxiety press into him for the first time since he fell. He tries to avoid this place at all costs but not just because he can't afford sick days. The last time he was in here was to say goodbye to his dad, and the memory does nothing for his mood now.

He's passed off to a bubbly attendant who introduces herself as Becky, an ER tech, who wheels him to an empty bay. After a brief struggle, Dean is finally on a bed and able to just relax his poor body. Becky gets him settled, enters him into the computer, slaps a pretty new bracelet on his wrist, and hooks him up to a machine that monitors his blood pressure as well as on of those little finger clips that Dean's never known what it does, before handing him a urinal and a clipboard with sheets of insurance paperwork. 

"Alright hon, I'm going to need you to fill up the bottle and fill out the paperwork."

Dean scowls at her, but her smile never waivers.

"I'm just going to step outside the privacy curtain to give you a minute."

She bounces out, and Dean's left to stare after her. He figures the quicker he complies, the quicker someone gives him some pain meds, so he sets down the clipboard to take care of business. Pissing lying down is no joke, and it takes all his concentration not to make a mess, but he manages and calls out to Becky.

"Alright, I'm done."

Becky pops right back in and snaps some gloves and whisks away the urinal, leaving behind a few hand wipes, a small bottle of hand sanitizer, and a promise that the nurse would be in shortly. 

Dean wipes his hands and turns his attention to the paperwork. He's just finishing up with his signature when the privacy curtain is pulled back to reveal Sam's worried face.

"Took you long enough, bitch. Did you get the cat sorted out?"

Sam shoots him a glare, but at least he doesn't have that pinched worried look anymore.

"Well, I see your mouth is just fine. And yes, I put down an old towel from the trunk in the back seat and found an old drink cup to put some water in."

Dean feels a little of his anxiousness ease up knowing the kitten will be fine for a little while, at least. Hopefully they can just wrap up his leg and he can be on his way. After all, this was the last night of break-

" _ Shit _ Sammy, I need my phone. I have to call the school; they're gonna need a sub for tomorrow and I need to let them know."

Sam nods at a sign on the wall, the bold letters clearly stating no cell phones allowed. Dean just grunts and holds his hand out for his phone. In less than twelve hours, eighteen 8-year-olds would be descending upon the school, and no way was he going to leave them hanging. It might be a ridiculous short notice, but it was better than nothing.

Sam hands it over reluctantly, but he can probably tell by the stubborn set of Dean's jaw that there was no point in arguing. It's got just under half a bar of battery life but that would be enough.

The line goes straight to voicemail which was to be expected, so Dean leaves a quick message before hanging up and opening his email to send a notice that way as well, and just to be on the safe side, he shoots off a text to Charlie, the other third grade teacher.

Over the last few months, Charlie has proven to be a godsend as he navigated his way through the ups and downs of his first year. She had also firmly proclaimed that, as the token gays on staff, they had to stick together. Dean had been surprised because, while he wasn't in the closet, he'd certainly been a little more cautious talking about his personal life around his new job. Charlie had simply said, “It takes one to know one” and left it at that.

His messages delivered, Dean lies back in bed. The pain is still radiating throughout his body, but now that he's not moving around, it's become more of a dull ache. He has a brief thought about whether Sam was going to miss his flight or not, but the entire train of thought is wiped from his mind when the curtain is pulled back yet again and Dean catches sight of a familiar head of dark messy hair. The man is looking down at a tablet in his hands so he doesn't register the occupants of the room right away.

"Good evening. I'm Castiel and I'll be your nurse-- oh, Dean!"

"Cas?"

Shocked ocean eyes stare into his for a long drawn out moment that's only interrupted by Sam pointedly clearing his throat. Dean blushes to the tips of his ears as he breaks eye contact and gives Castiel a pathetic little wave.

' _ Could this night get any worse? _ ' 

Dean had no idea.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and happy Tuesday!
> 
> Thank you to all of those who've been following along and for the lovely comments! I love reading every single one!
> 
> I wanted to say an extra special thank you to my beta @Beatrix_Kiddo because I got this chapter to her pretty late and she still had it done in time for today!
> 
> Please enjoy chapter 6!

* * *

An awkward silence fills the room for a beat; Dean watches Castiel as he shifts from surprised to professional in an instant. He pulls his shoulders back, glances at Sam briefly, then walks to Dean's bedside, lowers his voice and leans in slightly to talk to Dean.

"I've got some questions to ask you about your medical history. If it would make you uncomfortable to have me ask, I can get someone else."

"Nah, Cas, it's fine. Ask away." 

Cas looks as Sam again. "Would you like me to clear the room?"

Dean shivers as Castiel's deep voice washes over him, but he has to laugh at the thought that there might be anything about him Sam doesn't already know. They've always been close; add to that Sam's penchant for "sharing and caring," and there isn't much they don't tell each other. Even the embarrassing stuff, like, say for instance, having a major crush on a parent of two of your students. Dean can feel Sam's eyes burning a hole in the side of his head, but he refuses to turn and look at his brother.

"Nah, Doc, anything you need to know, Sammy here has already heard it."

"Nurse," Cas interrupts.

"What?"

"I'm not the doctor. I'm your nurse." The guy looks like he probably has this argument at least once a night. 

"Oh, sorry. I just assumed because you're,  _ ya know _ , and I'm kinda a big Dr. Sexy fan." He's babbling but doesn't know how to stop.

Cas narrows his eyes, "I don't understand that reference."

Dean blushes and his treacherous mouth just keeps going.

"Um, it's a show about a sexy doctor, and well, I'm in a hospital, and you  _ are _ sexy," Sam makes a strangled sound in the corner. "So I just assumed you were the doctor...Not,  _ shit,  _ not that nurses can't be sexy. I mean like I said you-"

Sam's big paw of a hand clamps down on his left leg, "Dude stop,  _ please _ ." 

Dean's mouth finally slams shut. Who knew breaking his leg wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to him tonight? On top of the crippling embarrassment, Dean is also trying desperately not to let his mind wander to all those naughty nurse fantasies he'd had as a teenager after finding a themed  _ Playboy _ magazine in his dad's closet. 

He'd been too afraid of getting caught to nick the thing, but he'd stared at it long enough to have the image permanently burned into his mind. That image got him through a lot of long lonely nights as his hormones kept his hand glued to his dick more often than not. Puberty had been rough. 

It didn't matter that the original image was of a woman or that the little white uniform she'd been wearing looked nothing like the dark blue scrubs Castiel currently had on. Dean had an amazing imagination.

_ Not really the best time, Winchester. Lock it up. _

Sam clears his throat again, and Dean's face bursts into flames. Or at least that's what it feels like, his blush is so intense. Cas quirks a barely-there smile and turns toward a large computer monitor mounted next to Dean's bed.

"Ok Dean, let’s start with the easy questions. What brings you in today?"

"I fell climbing a tree, landed wrong, pretty sure my leg is broken."

At this point, Dean figures the less he talks the better, so he gives his answers in short clipped sentences.

"Did you hit your head at all?"

"Nope."

"Well, that's good. We won't have to worry about a concussion. Have you been drinking tonight?"

"Had a beer with dinner but that was, what would you say, Sam? 6:30ish."

Sam nods along with him even though Cas can't see him. Cas rolls through a few questions about family medical history, past surgeries, allergies, and current medications. Dean is sailing through them and feeling a little less like he wants to sink into the floor, like he might get out of this night with at least a little of his dignity intact, when Cas asks his next question and sends him straight back to being a blushing twelve-year-old girl.

"Are you sexually active?"

Cas looks at him for the first time since he started in on the questions, and if Dean's not mistaken, he's not the only one currently sporting a red face.

"Um n-no, I'm not. I mean -- yeah I've been ‘active,’ don't get me wrong, I'm no virgin."  _ Oh god why is he still talking? _ "But um, no, I'm not um...currently...active?"

Sam sounds like he's positively choking on his tongue. Dean wonders briefly if it's too late to claim to have hit his head after all. 

"Has it been at least a year since your last sexual encounter?"

Cas is staring pointedly at the computer screen, but Dean can see the tips of his ears are bright red. He just lets out a long sigh and figures in for a penny, in for a pound.

"Yeah, 'bout two actually."

Cas makes a small noise as he types, but Dean has no idea how to interpret it so he doesn't even try.

Now Cas gives Sam a weird side eye before leaning in close as he fastens a plastic bracelet onto his wrist the computer spit out.

"Dean?" He looks up into Cas' concerned eyes.

"Yeah, Cas?"

"I'm required to ask if you feel safe at home." Again, Cas gives Sam a side eye before looking back to Dean's surprised face. It takes a second for the meaning behind Cas' words to click. He looks at his brother. Sam is a big guy standing at 6'4” and shoulders just as broad as Dean’s. He's not real bulky, but you can see the guy keeps in shape. He snorts just thinking of Sam being some big bad asshole when the kid doesn't even squish spiders.

"Yeah, Cas. Really, I fell out of a tree. I was um...well I was trying to help a cat. I thought it needed help, but the little shit wasn't even stuck." Dean absolutely  _ was not _ pouting. 

Cas stands up straight, a single eyebrow raising in question at his sullen confession.

"He's telling the truth," Sam finally pipes up. "A tiny kitten was crying in a tree, and Dean's always had a big heart, couldn't just leave it there." Sam adopts a thoughtful expressing before continuing. "He's not the best climber though, as you can see." The sasquatch snickers and even manages to pull a quiet laugh from Castiel. 

Dean glares at Sam and vows that, broken leg or not, he's going to wipe that smirk right off his brother’s face. 

"Don't you have a plane to catch?"

Sam gives him a wounded look like Dean just kicked his puppy.

"I'm not just going to leave you here, Dean. I can change my flight."

"Sam, you've been talking about this trip for six months. I don't want you to miss it on my account."

"I can at least change my flight to tomorrow. The first day is always just a schmooze fest with all the university bigwigs. It won't hurt anything if I miss it."

While they've been talking Cas has been moving about, gathering items and setting them on a little tabletop on wheels. He makes a small noise to draw their attention.

"Sorry to interrupt Dean, but I need to get you set up for an iv."

Dean blanches noticeably. Needles have never been his favorite thing, and the thought of someone fishing around in his arm for a vein makes him shudder. Nevertheless, he puts on a brave face and sticks his arm out. Cas gives him a reassuring smile as he sets to work. He's fast and gentle, the warmth from his big hands seeping through his gloves to sink into Dean's skin. He feels the slight prick of the needle, but it's only a moment before Cas is pulling away, iv port secured on his arm with medical tape.

"Ok Dean, you're set for now. It's not too busy tonight, so the doctor should be in shortly. She'll want to take a look at your leg, most likely order you an x-ray, then go from there. After the doctor sees you, I'll be able to give you something for the pain. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Cas points out the call button, gives Dean a little pat on his shoulder, and leaves the room.

As soon as the privacy curtain is drawn, Sam is up on his feet.

"What the hell was that, Dean?"

He presses his fingers into his eyes until colors dance behind his lids.

"I don't know! Oh god, it was like I could hear myself talking but couldn't stop it."

"So was that the guy? The one you were telling me about?"

Dean gives a reluctant nod, hoping Sam will just let it go considering the night he's already had. From the look on Sam's face though, Dean doesn't think he's going to get that lucky. It's a welcome relief then when the doctor steps into the room before Sam can start in on his questions. From there, the next few hours are a blur of activity. 

He's taken in for an x-ray where they determine he's got a clean break in his tibia. He's in for a hard cast and crutches for at least eight weeks before he'll have to see his primary doctor to see how the break is mending. He sees Cas off and on, but they don't ever get a moment alone together, and then he's sent up to a regular room for the remainder of the night.

It's well past midnight at this point, and Sam is fading fast. Dean looks at the uncomfortable way his brother has his giant frame folded into the folding chair provided for visitors and takes pity on the guy’s poor back.

"Sam, why don't you head back to the house? It's not like I'm on my deathbed. Go sleep in a real bed and take care of the cat before it decides to use my car as a litter box. Just come back in the morning so I can say goodbye before you catch your flight."

At first, he thinks Sam is going to argue with him, but it’s obvious he's not going to get any sleep in the dinky chair. 

"Alright, but I'm only going because there's a real live animal trapped in your car right now. I'll just stop at Walmart real quick to get a few supplies for it. Call me though if anything changes."

"Thanks Sam, and you'll be the first to know if my broken leg turns fatal. Also, be careful with my Baby. Just ‘cause I won't be able to drive her for a bit doesn't mean she doesn't deserve to be treated like the lady she is."

Sam rolls his eyes at Dean. "Your fixation with your car isn't healthy, man."

Sam leaves, and fifteen minutes later Dean is finally blissfully asleep.

♡♡♡

  
  


A loud knock rips Dean from what was a  _ very  _ pleasant dream featuring one messy haired nurse with a sexy voice and an empty exam room.

He glares at the door, only to watch it open as a far-too enthusiastic Sam strolls in. Dean forgets his brother is a  _ morning person.  _ Ugh, he'd give his left nut for a cup of coffee right now. He may have fallen asleep quickly, but with regular rounds every couple of hours and the awkward way the cast weighed on him, and it had been a long night.

"Hey man. I didn't think you'd be back this early."

The guilty look Sam gives him immediately wakes him up. He pushes the buttons on his bed controls until he can sit up comfortably, and Sam drags the folding chair back to the side of the bed.

"There was only one flight out today, and I pretty much only have time for a quick goodbye before I have to grab an Uber to the airport. Unless you've changed your mind and want me to stay?"

Dean shakes his head firmly. No way was he going to be the one to hold Sammy back from something he wants so bad. He decides a change of subject is in order.

"Hey, how's the kitten? Did you get it all set up at home?"

"She. The cat's a she not an it."

"Dude, how do you know that? Did you look?"

"It felt weird calling her ‘it’ all the time. How else was I supposed to find out? And yes, she's all set up. I got her one of those food dishes you fill at the top and it dispenses at the bottom, and same with her water dish. Also, did you know they make self scooping litter boxes now? Oh and a cat tree. It said on the care sheet at the pet store that a cat tree can help her from getting bored and scratching your furniture. Also get this...what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Dean shakes his head in found exasperation. 

"I'm gonna miss ya, Sammy."

Sam seems to melt in his seat, the big girl, and he turns his big hazel puppy eyes at Dean.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay, Dean? I mean, how are you going to get home? What about groceries and showers and everything else?"

Dean grimaces because, honestly, he  _ isn't _ sure how he was going to pull it off. It wasn't like he's the only person on the planet that lives alone and has been injured though. He's sure he can figure it out. 

"I can take an Uber home. Groceries can be delivered. I can do the ol' sponge bath for now. I'm not completely helpless Sam. I've got my crutches to get to and from the bathroom. Charlie said she'd come help if I needed her. I'm not totally alone, and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you. I'd hate knowing I stopped you from going."

"It just doesn't feel right to leave you when you’re hurt."

Winchester men were known for three things: their tall stature, their dashing good looks, and for having a stubborn streak that could rival a mule’s. Dean can see Sam beginning to dig his heels in already. If he didn't act fast, Sammy would cancel his trip, and there is no way Dean was letting that happen. As much as he misses his brother, the thought of him staying out of a sense of obligation was too much for Dean. 

No, if Dean hadn't been hurt, there wouldn't even be a question about whether Sam was going or not, so this little hiccup shouldn't change anything. He'd make do like he always did.

A soft knock on the door breaks the standoff between the brothers. The door opens a crack, and Cas' tired face peeks in.

"Uh, hello Dean, Sam. I was just getting off shift and thought I'd stop by and see how Dean is doing."

"Hey Cas, come on in." Castiel moves into the room at Dean's greeting, shuffling his way over the side of the bed. "Man you must be beat. Do you always work nights?"

Tired eyes sweep over his body as if to check for any new injuries before coming to a rest on his face. Cas gives him a warm smile, nodding slightly as he realizes he was asked a question.

"Yes. I find that night shift just fits the children's schedules better. This way, they are sleeping for the majority of my shift, and I can sleep after I drop them off at school."

Well that would explain why Cas looks so tired some days at drop off. Dean can't imagine everything this guy must be juggling trying to take care of three kids. Sam catches his eye and jerks his chin at Cas a couple of times. 

"Oh yeah, Cas I should probably introduce you to my brother here. It kind of slipped my mind during all the commotion last night. Castiel, this is my little brother Sam. Sam, this is Castiel. I have two of his kids in my class."

Cas extends his hand, and the two men shake as they size each other up.

"It's nice to meet you, Sam. Although I must say it seems strange to hear Dean call you his ‘little’ brother."

Sam barks out a short laugh. "Man, if I had a dollar for every time I've heard that, I could travel by private jet instead cramming my legs into economy. It's nice to meet you too, Cas." Sam breaks away to move into Dean's space. He doesn't even have time to react before he's engulfed in Sam's long arms.

"On that note, it's time for me to hit the road. I'll call you when I land, and  _ you _ call me if anything changes."

Dean slaps the big baby on the back a few times and promises to call when he's home. He watches Sam leave. The sight of his brother's back as he walks away has always set a bitter feeling in the pit of his stomach. Today is no different, however today  _ does  _ have one very handsome nurse to serve as a distraction.

Cas is watching Sam go with a look of confusion. "He's not staying? With you I mean."

Dean tries not to let those words get to him. After all, he was the one that insisted he was fine on his own.

"Nah, he was only in town for the break. He's got a pretty important class he's involved with on the east coast."

Now Cas' look turns worried.

"I'm concerned, Dean. Do you have someone at home to help you when you're discharged?"

Dean bites his lip and looks away. Should he tell Cas the truth? Would he kick up a fuss and get the hospital to refuse his discharge? Dean's really not sure how long he'll be able to take being stuck in here. He already wouldn't be released until tomorrow because he had to wait around for physical therapy to come and fit him for his crutches. In the end, Cas' imploring eyes pull the truth from him.

"No, Cas. I don't have anyone at home. I do have a friend that offered to come help out when she can, and my house is a single story. I'll be fine."

"How do you plan on getting home?"

Dean shrugs. "Probably an Uber or taxi, whichever I can get here sooner."

Now, it's Cas who's worrying his lip between his teeth. 

"I could drive you. If that doesn't make you uncomfortable. I work tonight, and it wouldn't be a hardship to take you after my shift ends."

"No, Cas. There's no way I could ask that of you."

"Hmm, well it's a good thing I offered it, then. Please Dean, I'd like to do this for you."

It's not that Dean didn't want to say yes. In fact, everything inside of him was yelling to just accept Cas' offer. Dean's house was actually only about fifteen minutes from the hospital, so even if it was in the opposite direction of Castiel's house, it wouldn't be a huge imposition for the guy to drive Dean. 

"Ok Cas, ok yes, that would be really nice, thank you."

Cas' face splits on a bright smile, and he takes another step closer to grasp one of Dean's hands where it's resting on the bed.

"Of course Dean, it would be my pleasure." He squeezes his hand gently before letting go and stepping back. Dean immediately misses his warmth.

"I should head home if I want to get the kids to school on time. Would it be ok to tell the boys why you won't be in class today? I don't want them to worry."

Dean smiles fondly at Cas, his hand still twitching with the feeling of being engulfed by the other man's. 

"Sure Cas, that would be okay. It might even improve my classroom cred."

Castiel chuckles at Dean's attempt at a joke. They say their goodbyes, Cas promising to come and say hi before his shift starts that night. Dean watches his back as he leaves the room. This time with only butterflies fluttering around his stomach. 

  
  
  
  
  


♡♡♡

  
  


Dean sinks gratefully down into the soft cushions of his couch. With a little help from Cas, he gets his injured leg propped up with a few throw pillows. Without prompting, Cas starts arranging things around Dean. He sets Dean's crutches against the couch in easy reach before scooting the coffee table closer. He then gathers the three separate remotes from around the room, wanders over to the open kitchen and finds a glass in the drying rack. He fills it with water and brings it over to Dean and places his little bag of prescriptions next to the glass. 

"Do you need anything else, Dean? Want me to bring you a snack? A blanket?"

Dean's not even sure Cas realizes he's gone into nurse mode. He can't remember the last time someone took care of him while he wasn't feeling well, and he feels warmth swirl in his chest. But he can also see the dark circles forming under Cas' tired eyes.

"I'm ok Cas, really. Thank you for all this."

Cas fidgets in place for a minute. His fingers playing with the hem of his shirt. He looks like he's working up to something, so Dean just waits. He doesn't have to wait long. Cas straightens up and looks him in the eye, pinning him in place.

"Dean, I don't want to impose, but it would make me feel better if you'd let me help you. You've been so great with the kids, and I'd really like to do this for you."

A soft smile makes its way to Dean's face. 

"Cas, you already have so much on your plate, I don't want to add to it."

"It's really not a hardship, Dean. How about I bring you over some dinner? It would be a lot better than anything you could have delivered, and I can just swing it by and drop it off, no big deal."

Dean mulls it over for a few minutes. A nice home cooked meal sounded wonderful after the weird bland food the hospital served up. And knowing he'd have company, at least for a few minutes, didn't hurt either. He nods his head slowly in agreement.

"Ok Cas, that would be really nice."

Cas beams at him and Dean feels his heart clench just a little at the sight of this sweet man so happy. Knowing that he had a little part in putting that smile on his face only made it all the sweeter.

"Ok well, I'll get out of your hair and let you rest for a bit. Anything else before I go?"

Dean's about to shake his head no when a loud shrill cry comes from behind the closed bathroom door. 

Oh yeah, the cat.

"Um, don't suppose you could bring me that little fuzz ball from the bathroom before ya go?"

"I'd be happy to. I was actually hoping to catch a glimpse of the cat who took down the infamous Mr. Winchester." He gives Dean a wink making the injured man's heart skip a beat.

From his spot on the couch, Dean can't see Cas as he walks to the small half bath off the living room. But he can hear his soft footsteps on the wood flooring, the sound of the kitten's cries getting louder as Cas gets closer, and the click of the door knob turning within its catch. Then Cas' low rumbly voice as he chuckles and greets the little noise maker.

"Well hello there, little one. Aren't you special?"

The cries stop, and a loud purring fills the room as Cas makes his way back to Dean. He rounds the side of the couch with the kitten cradled in his arms, tucked into the crook of Cas' elbow on her back so he can scratch at her chin. Dean can't blame the thing, he'd probably be purring too if Cas was petting him like that.

"She's beautiful, Dean. I've never seen a cat with markings like this."

Dean hasn't actually gotten a good look at her since it was dark when he was in the tree, and everything after that was kind of a hazy, pain muddled blur.

Cas carefully sets the kitten onto Dean's chest, and he melts as her blue eyes search his face. That's right! How could he have forgotten the eyes? Blue eyes were everywhere in his life these days it seemed. Dean glances up at Cas to see the man smiling as he looks down at the kitten in Dean's hands. He looks back at the cat and sees her other very distinct feature: half of her face is grey, the black meeting it in a perfect symmetrical line down the center of her face. She was beautifully weird, and Dean already loved her.

  
  
  


"Do you have any idea what you're going to name her?"

Dean scritches along the kitten's chin, drawing out more of her loud purring. She starts to circle his chest before finally plopping down in a little ball to sleep. Dean huffs a laugh at his new buddy before turning to Cas.

"No idea, but I'm sure something will come to me."

They stared at each other for a moment, both smiling. Cas places his hand on Dean's shoulder, it's warm and strong, and gives it a little squeeze.

"Alright Dean, I'm going to go home and get some sleep. Try not to overdo it, and I'll be back about 5:00 with dinner."

Dean tries not to let it show how much Cas' hand is affecting him, but the blush and the way he stammers a bit probably gives him away.

"Uh yeah, yes, 5:00 sounds good. See ya then, Cas." Dean's tongue darts out to wet his lips. It's a nervous habit he's been trying to break for years, but seeing the way Cas' eyes darken slightly as he tracks the movement has Dean thinking it's not such a bad habit after all. Cas flicks his eyes back up, and Dean swallows hard. Another small squeeze of his shoulder and Cas pulls away, his hand leaving a trail of warmth behind it.

"Goodbye, Dean."

"See ya soon, Cas."

The soft click of the front door and the loud purring from the kitten fill the room as Dean sits and wonders what exactly he's getting himself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok how are we all feeling? 
> 
> How do you all feel about having a chapter from Cas' pov? 
> 
> Also that episode last Thursday 😍😍😍!!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and happy Tuesday! 
> 
> I want to give a very very special thank you to @Beatrix_Kiddo because not only is she a great beta she helped me figure out how to get these pictures into this chapter for y'all!
> 
> Thank you to all of you lovely readers as well and for all the comments y'all have been leaving. I love everyone of them!
> 
> A couple of important notes:
> 
> Next Tueaday there will NOT be a new chapter. I'm wrapping up my fic for the Dean/Cas reverse bang and will not be able to get the next chapter for AFR out on time.
> 
> Also this chapter is from Castiel's POV and is a bit heavier as we learn some important things about his backstory.
> 
> ⚠️Possible Trigger Warning⚠️  
> There is mentions of passed homophobia that could be triggering and exact details are in end notes if needed.
> 
> Ok without further ado here is chapter 7...

* * *

Castiel stared at his ceiling with a gnawing ache in his gut. He should be sleeping, but his mind was too busy to let him rest. Too busy thinking about the man with beautiful green eyes, the one who his kids talk about like he hung the moon, the one who calls his daughter Honey Bea like its no big deal and who broke his leg falling out of a tree trying to save a kitten. Castiel lay there in his too big bed and thinks. He can only come to one conclusion.

Dean Winchester is fucking trouble.

In the year since Castiel packed up his kids and left his ex-husband, a lot has changed in their lives. He had just been so young when he married, so naive, and this last year was his first time truly living on his own. 

Only he wasn't on his own. He had three little lives depending on him. It's an incredible pressure and quite frankly terrifying knowing there isn't anyone there to catch them if Cas drops the ball. Sure, Anna helped where she could, and Cas is eternally grateful to his sister, but she had her own life. Anna was an artist and needed her "alone time" to create. As much as she loved her niece and nephews, she had made the decision long ago that she didn't want kids of her own. It felt wrong to ask too much of her when she never wanted this kind of life. 

Castiel was the one who had always talked about having kids. When he was six, he asked for a baby doll for Christmas, but instead he got a bb gun. When he was nine, his mom asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. Castiel had said, "I want to be a father," and his mother had laughed and told him to pick a career instead. When he was thirteen and came out to his parents, scared, shaking, with tears in his eyes, the first thing his mother said to him was "You know you'll never have children now. They don't give babies to perverts."

Castiel had been devastated. Having spent his life sheltered from anything outside of his parents’ own views at the time, there had been no way to know the truth. 

At eighteen, he walked out the front door of his parents’ house, got on a bus, and never looked back.

Two months later, he met his ex-husband at his first LGBTQIA+ event and before he was nineteen, they were married. 

The soft sounds of an acoustic guitar fills the air, his cell phone letting him know it was time to get up. Cas heaves a sigh and rolls from his bed, snatching his glasses from the nightstand and sliding the thick black frames onto his face. He shuffles out to the kitchen, still in his sweats and an old soft t-shirt with "Save the Whales" splashed across the front.

He starts the kettle and pulls down his "World’s Best Dad" mug from the cupboard. The kids had made it for him with their old sitter for Father’s Day a couple of years ago while Cas was still working towards his nursing license. They had doodled little hearts and suns and little stick figures of their family on the white mug. It was one of Castiel's most prized possessions. 

Rifling through his stash of tea boxes, Cas pulls out a nice citrus blend to help wake him up. When he had first started working nights, he'd practically been consuming coffee intravenously. But it just ended up throwing his inner schedule all to hell, so now he mostly stuck to tea. Almost more than the flavor, Castiel just enjoyed the grounding effect of holding a warm drink cradled in his hands.

Leaning against the counter while he waits for the water to boil, his eyes fall on the fridge. It's absolutely covered in art. Bright pictures of unicorns, assorted bugs, monster trucks, and even a few that Jamie drew of their "future dog". As much as Castiel wants to give his children the childhood he missed out on, he's hoping to put that particular milestone off for at least a few more years. He likes animals well enough, but in no way could he handle taking care of another living thing right now. There is a single house plant in their kitchen, and it's the sole survivor of what had once been a lovely tabletop herb garden. Apparently, chives are hard to kill. So Cas doesn't have a lot of faith in his ability to handle a dog on top of everything else at the moment.

The day Anna had shown up a little later than usual with three excited kids and a bag of magnets from the dollar store, Castiel's first emotion had been guilt. He should have thought of putting his children's art on the fridge. Honey Bea had been so happy, she couldn't stop talking about it for days. The boys had been just as excited, and quickly the surface of the shiny stainless steel appliance had been covered over.

It had just never occurred to Cas to display their art like that. His parents’ home was to be kept immaculate at all times. Every item had its place, and that was where it stayed. Art was considered frivolous and a waste of time. His mother never would have entertained the thought of tainting her perfect kitchen with such frivolities. Cleanliness was, after all, next to Godliness.

Even after he had managed to crawl out from under his parents’ thumb, he had practically run straight into his ex-husband's arms. Jay had swept him off his feet into a world that was shiny and new to Castiel's inexperienced eyes.

At his ex-husband’s house, the housekeeper kept everything spit-spot, and the kitchen, which had been photographed several times for various magazines, was more for show than for home cooked meals. Before the kids had been born, they had dined out three or four times a week, always at some up-and-coming new restaurant that Jay had heard about from some well-to-do business associate. It was always pretentious, snobby cuisine served in multiple courses, so small they were laughable, with prices that could feed a family of four for a month.

Of course at the time, Cas hadn't thought it was pretentious. No, he'd thought it was romantic. Like a fairytale. He'd been so fucking stupid. Just barely past eighteen and finally away from his parents, Jay had been like a revelation. Older by ten years, strikingly handsome with his dark hair and dark eyes, and enough money to pull out all the stops, he'd taken one look at Castiel's fresh face and innocent eyes and decided he wanted the young man all to himself. 

Everything was so new and such an adventure to a small town boy that had spent years behind closed doors and only allowed to mingle amongst a carefully selected peer group. Jay had offered him the world on a silver platter, and Castiel ate it up like a starving man. 

At first, every experience had felt like a grand adventure, but it wasn't just the fancy restaurants, art museums, and spontaneous trips to private islands that was new. Castiel had been experiencing a sexual awakening as well. Even as sheltered as he'd grown up, Cas wasn't the only repressed boy at the church picnics. He'd managed a fumbling hand job or two and even a few sloppy blowjobs here and there, but it was nothing compared to the way sex was with Jay. 

The older man definitely knew what he was doing, and in the first years of their marriage, he took great pleasure in introducing Castiel to all the different ways to enjoy sexual intimacy.

By the time Castiel had hit his early twenties, the luster of his fancy life had started to dim. Castiel was growing bored of being Jay's arm candy and had started talking about taking college courses. He'd been home schooled his entire life, and the idea of learning in an actual classroom with a diverse group of students had been thrilling. 

But Jay had thought it was time for them to start their family, since he had turned 30 and wasn't getting any younger and wanted to enjoy their children while he was still young. Up to that point, Castiel had still retained the belief that he'd never have children, a fact he had confessed to his new husband while sobbing the first and last time he'd ever gotten drunk. The subject of college was dropped in exchange for researching surrogacy agencies. 

Hardly more than a year later the twins had been born, and Castiel's life had been changed forever. And three years later had brought him his little Honey Bea. It was barely six months after bringing Bea home that the cracks in his marriage had started to surface. 

Their divorce had been a long time coming, but Castiel can still remember the sucker punch of shock when Jay had offered a monetary settlement in exchange for severing his parental rights. His ex had been distant after Bea had joined their family, but Castiel had never even entertained the thought that Jay would abandon the children. As much as he had wanted to tell his ex-husband to take his settlement money and shove it where the sun doesn't shine, Castiel would have been left with almost nothing and three babies to care for. 

It was just luck that Castiel had already gotten his nursing license by the time Jay asked for the divorce. Or maybe his ex had been waiting for Cas to finish, he was never sure. At any rate, it didn't matter because for better or worse, they were on their own now.

The sound of the kettle whistling snaps him out of his thoughts, and he turns away from the fridge. Pushing his glasses up his nose, he pours the boiling water into his mug. Leaving the tea to steep, he snags a banana out of the hanging fruit basket and a jar of peanut butter out of the cupboard. There's still about an hour until the kids were supposed to arrive home, but Castiel likes to have their snack ready to stave off any cranky after-school attitudes. He quietly cuts up banana slices and spreads peanut butter over their tops. Just for fun, he arranges the little snacks on a plate into the shape of a smiley face.

The smell coming from the crockpot on his counter brings thoughts of a different man once again to the forefront of Cas' mind. He had been more than a little surprised to see the teacher in the ER the other night but had done his best to remain professional. He can't deny the tiny spark of jealousy he'd felt when he saw the other man in the room with Dean. It was clear the two were close but it shouldn't have been such a relief to learn they were brothers. After all, what did it matter to Castiel if Dean had a boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever? It was none of his business.

So why did he bully his way into helping Dean? He'd practically begged the man to let him bring him dinner for heaven’s sake. 

Yes, Dean Winchester, with his perfect sandy hair and his freckles and his dancing green eyes and perfect lips and bow legs that looked made to wrap around a waist, was definitely Trouble with a capital "T". 

The moment Castiel had set eyes on the beautiful man, he'd immediately felt the pull in his gut of attraction. It had been years since just the sight of a man could pull that kind of feeling from him, and instantly he'd had his guard up.

Weeks of watching the boys blossom in Dean's class and listening to Bea talk excitedly about Mr. Winchester had worn a soft spot on Castiel's heart for the green-eyed man. It had been terrifying sending his babies out into the world for the first time, but knowing they had Dean with them settles something inside him that Castiel can't bring himself to examine quite yet.

When the twins were small, Castiel hadn't been ready to trust them with other people, choosing to homeschool out of fear, fear of how others would judge them, his mother's influence still strong and persistent years later. When Cas had moved them to Oregon to be closer to Anna, he was left with no other choice but to enroll his kids in the local public school. He had to work, and school was free.

At first, walking into Teddy and Jamie's classroom to see a tall nervous looking young man instead of Mrs. Simpson, who was a tiny woman who barely reached his shoulders but had a soft voice and a warm smile, had been a major shock. Now, he couldn't think of anyone he'd rather have as the twins’ teacher.

After finishing his tea, Cas figures he has just enough time for a quick shower before the kids get home. Stepping under the spray of the shower, Castiel feels tension he hadn't known he was carrying release.The hot water slides down his back and eases his tired muscles. He takes a minute to just let the water do its work before finally reaching for a washcloth and his soap.

Cas bites his lips as his thumb brushes against his nipple while he's washing his chest. He does it again, sending a spark of heat down his spine and straight to his cock. He doesn't really have time, at least not to really enjoy himself, but if he is going to spend anymore time with Dean today, it might be a good idea to take the edge off. Decision made, Castiel lets his hand wander down to wrap around his semi-hard length. A few pumps of his closed fist has him standing at attention, and Cas jerks himself quickly and with little finesse. This was just a means to an end, nothing more. 

He refuses to imagine Dean or his green eyes looking up at him through thick lashes or his perfect cupid bow lips that would look perfect around his... _shit._ Cas bites back a loud moan as his orgasm is ripped from him, his spend washing away as quickly as its released, as the shower continues to rain down on him. In the wake of his climax, Cas slumps against the shower wall. He half-heartedly finishes his wash before turning off the taps and reaching for a towel to dry himself off. 

As soon as Cas steps into his room, he hears the sound of the front door opening and the clamoring of excited voices. With no time to worry about what he should wear, Cas snatches the first thing he can find and throws on his clothes and his glasses so he can go out and meet his children. 

"Daddy! Daddy! Look what I made!" Bea is bouncing around him in circles and waving a paper above her head. On her third pass, Cas scoops her up into his arms and she squeals with laughter.

"Daddy, put me down!" Cas chuckles and sets her on her feet before opening his arms for Teddy. Jamie had recently decided he was getting too old for all the hugging, so instead, Cas reaches out to ruffle his hair, smiling at his son's indignant squawk. Teddy holds on for a moment longer. He's always been a sensitive boy, and he was taking Dean's absence a little harder then Cas had anticipated. 

Bea starts to whine as she stomps her feet over to the kitchen island and slaps her paper onto the countertop.

"I wanted you to look at my picture." She crosses her arms over her chest and huffs, her bottom lip stuck so far out it looks like it could fall off. Oh, to be five and still think the world revolves around you.

He pats Teddy's back and steers him towards the snacks waiting for them at the table. Jamie is already helping himself. Anna calls out a goodbye from the foyer but Cas hardly gets out a word before the door shuts. She gets like that sometimes when she's in the middle of a new project. She doesn't like to interrupt her flow if at all possible.

Honey Bea huffs again, and Castiel sighs.

"Sweetheart, I can hardly look at your picture when you're jumping around and waving it in the air. Try asking again with your kind words, and I'll take a look."

His daughter looks up at him with wide pleading eyes. She's certainly mastered the sad puppy look, though he has no idea where she learned it.

"Daddy, will you please look at my picture now? I made it for Mr. Winchester. Can you take it to him at the hospital?"

Bea hands over her drawing. It's a slightly abstract rendition of Dean sitting in a tree with a rainbow colored cat that looks more like a circle with stick legs and a very fluffy tail. One of Dean's legs is in a bright pink cast, and in blocky letters at the top of the page it says, "Get well soon".

Cas feels his heart swell with how thoughtful his baby girl is. She may be a bit spoiled, but her heart was in the right place.

"I'm sure Mr. Winchester will love it, Honey Bea. It's beautiful."

She gives him a proud smile and points to the rainbow cat blob. "I drew'd it rainbow ‘cause I didn't know what the real color was."

"Well I think that was very clever of you. Although I won't be able to take the picture to the hospital, because Mr. Winchester has been sent home."

"Does that mean he's coming back to class?" Teddy pipes up from the table.

"I'm afraid not, sweetheart. Hey, make sure to save some of those snacks for your sister, you two." The boys give him twin sheepish smiles, their pudgy cheeks full of banana and peanut butter. "On the bright side, we will be seeing him tonight. I offered to bring him dinner so he can rest and stay off his leg."

All three children give a loud cheer at the news, Bea once again bouncing around in her excitement.

"Alright, settled down. We're just dropping it off and saying a quick hello. Mr. Winchester needs his rest, okay?"

Three little heads nod in agreement, and Castiel laughs at their eager faces. He hopes Dean isn't expecting him to show up alone.

"Ok, homework first, then you little monsters can help me get the food together. I made ribs in the crockpot, but I could use some help getting the salad and mash ready."

Another loud cheer fills the kitchen. With Castiel working and the kids in school, family time became even more important to the single father. He found that letting his kids help with meal time had the benefit of more time together, but also they were much happier and willing to try new foods. Plus it was just fun, something Castiel had too little of these days.

The boys wash their hands and pull out their homework while Bea makes quick work of her snack. Castiel just takes a moment to watch his children and imagine for a moment what his life would be like without them there. He can't. He can't imagine a world without his sweet boys or his busy little Honey Bea in it. Jay may have left their marriage with the house and the money, but Castiel got the real treasures.

Jamie looks up from his papers, "Hey Dad, can you help me with this math problem?"

Castiel shakes off any lingering thoughts of his ex and goes to sit with his children. Jay made his decision and will have to live with it, just as Castiel made his. He kisses the top of Jamie’s head and ruffles his hair once again.

As for Dean, well Cas doesn't know what the future holds. What he does know is that Dean's presence has been a positive one in their lives and at the very least Castiel would like to be able to call him a friend.

He'll start with bringing him dinner that night and go from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok what did y'all think about getting a glimpse into Castiel's day? Also how did you like Honey's drawing and the new header? I'm rather proud of them lol. 
> 
> Next chapter will be back to Dean's pov and we'll see how dinner goes. Thanks for reading!
> 
> ⚠️TW Notes⚠️
> 
> In a memory we see that while coming out to his parents Castiel's mother refers to him as a pervert. Other vauge references alluding to his parents being homophobic due to religious beliefs.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Tuesday! Man skipping a week felt like torture but all my bang challenges are now finished! Also as a little aside this chapter is twice the size of regular chapters because I write everything on my phone and was just introduced to the bluetooth keyboard 😍.
> 
> As always a huge thank you to Beatrix_Kiddo. She is more than my beta, she's a great friend as well.
> 
> ⚠️CW⚠️
> 
> Reference to passed medical issues involving an infant. Nothing overly graphic.  
> Also if you have issues with bugs just be aware there is some gross bug stuff in this chapter. 
> 
> Ok enough rambling! Please enjoy chapter 8!

**Dean's House**

* * *

It's nearly 5 o’clock, and Dean is still sprawled out on his couch. He's spent most of the day dozing with the sound of the television playing softly in the background. The kitten is curled high up on his chest, close enough for her soft fur to tickle his chin.

A loud knocking startles him from his sleepy zoning. A glance at his watch tells him it's close enough to dinner time that it must be Cas at the door.

He scrubs his hands down his face roughly trying to wake up properly.

"Come in." His voice is rough from disuse, and he has to call out a second time before the front door opens slowly. Castiel ducks his head in looking around until he spots Dean on the couch.

"Heya, Cas."

"Hello, Dean." Cas' voice is deep and warm as he greets him. Dean wants to wrap himself in it like a blanket.

He waves the dark haired man inside while he struggles to get himself up, but Cas holds up a finger in a "just one moment" kind of gesture and ducks back outside. 

The kitten isn't happy to have her rest disturbed, but she grudgingly curls up in the warm spot Dean leaves behind. When he finally gets himself up and his crutches under his arms, Dean is sweating and red faced.

A high pitched squeal cuts through the fog of his pain killers, making Dean jump a bit as he looks up to see Honey Bea standing in his doorway. Her eyes are glued on the sleeping form of the unsuspecting cat.

He has to hand it to the girl though, because despite the fact she is practically vibrating with excitement, she doesn't rush forward or make any big sudden movements towards the cat.

A second later and Cas is back in the doorway, the twins in tow and each carrying a baking dish. Dean can already smell what he thinks is some kind of barbecue flavored meat, his mouth filling with saliva just at the thought. Cas is urging the kids inside while side-eyeing the cat, probably worried she'll try to dash out the door. 

Dean greets his visitors with a huge smile, marveling at how full the house feels now that Castiel and the kids are here.

"Hey guys, come on in. I'll show where you can put that stuff down."

Dean's house isn't very big. It's the same little two bedroom his dad John had purchased years ago when they'd first settled in Oregon. He'd taken over the mortgage when his dad had gotten sick. After John had passed, Dean had put a lot of work into the rundown little house with the intention to sell, but after the work was done, he just didn't have the heart to give it up. 

"It smells great, Cas. What all did you make?"

It's Teddy that pipes up first.

"We made confetti salad!"

Dean tries to hide his grimace. It's not that he hates vegetables, he just prefers them cooked and usually dosed in butter. Salad was just so...boring and crunchy and it gets stuck all in your teeth. If it wasn't for the proud look on Teddy's face and the fact that Cas had gone through a lot of trouble to make him dinner, Dean might have had to decline on principle alone.

He decides a little white lie wouldn't hurt in this instance.

"Sounds delicious, kiddo. Anything else?"

It's Jamie's turn to proudly present a tupperware container. "Rainbow mash!"

Oh god, what has Dean gotten himself into? 

Before his imagination gets too far ahead of him with thoughts of vegans and Oregon hippies, Cas' warm voice settles over him again.

"I've got the barbeque ribs in my pot." He sounds amused, and Dean blushes as he realizes his horror must have been easier to read than he thought.

He swallows hard and rubs at the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. Damn... but he's always so flustered when Cas is around.

The kitchen and living room are one big open room, the space separated by a small round table with four chairs. The kitchen isn't very large, but Dean doesn't really need a lot of space just to cook for himself. He points to the table directing Cas and the boys to put the food down while he continues into the kitchen to start pulling down plates.

"Um, Mr. Winchester, can I pet your kitty? Please?"

Dean looks down into the pleading eyes of Honey. She's got her hands clasped together and tucked under her chin, her little face scrunched up in such a look of longing that Dean's heart clenches.

_ Damn, will he ever be able to say no to that face? _

"If you're really careful and stay really calm, you can give it a try. I'm still getting to know her myself, but she seems really friendly so far."

Honey claps her hands twice in excitement before stopping abruptly and giving Dean a sheepish smile.

"Oops, I'll be quiet...starting now." She pretends to lock her lips together and throw away the key before spinning on her heel and speed walking to the couch.

"Can you boys go and help your sister please?"

The boys look more than okay with their dad's request, and they hurry over to where Honey is kneeling on the floor in front of the couch and petting her fingers softly through the kitten’s fur. The cat looks pretty cool with the attention, and Dean sighs with relief. That's all he'd need is for his new cat to scratch the hell out of his crush’s daughter.

Dean has five plates sitting in a stack on the counter and is pulling down glasses when Cas clears his throat grabbing his attention. He looks up to see Cas staring at his growing pile of dishes. 

_ God he's so beautiful _ . 

Cas is wearing dark jeans, a dark grey henley, and once again he's wearing his glasses. Dean had only caught a glimpse of those thick framed panty droppers once before, and that was the day Cas came flying into the office late after Anna didn't show up to get the kids.

Cas quirks an eyebrow, and Dean realizes he's been staring. His face floods with heat, and he drops his eyes down to the counter top.

"Uh yeah, Cas what's up?"

"What are you doing?"

The question has Dean's head snapping back up in alarm. Was Cas offended by Dean's staring? Is he getting called out for being a creeper? Cas' eyes are still on the pile of dishes spread out on the counter, though, so Dean tries to relax.

"Um, setting the table?"

"You don't have to do that, Dean. I told you I was just going to drop the food off. I don't want to crowd your space when you should be resting."

"Yeah, but then what will you guys eat?"

Cas shrugs his shoulders, "I was going to pick up a pizza on our way home."

Dean scoffs hard at that. He's been living in this town for long enough to know there isn't a decent pizza place under an hour’s drive away.

"Oh hell no, Cas. There is no way I'll be able to eat any of this knowing y'all are eating mediocre pizza."

Cas gives him an odd little smile.

"Is that so? And how do you know the pizza will be mediocre?

"Dude, trust me, I've lived here most of my life. There  _ is  _ no restaurant in town that makes decent pizza."

Cas chuckles and shakes his head.

"Are you sure, Dean? We aren't exactly calm and relaxing company."

"Cas, I've been relaxing all day. I'd love it if you guys stayed for dinner." Dean tries out his best puppy dog eyes, but he's never been as good at it as Sammy or, apparently, Honey Bea.

The other man bites his lip for a minute before nodding. "Okay, Dean. We'll stay, but only if you sit and let me take care of everything."

"I can help, Cas. I broke my leg, not my hands."

Cas glares at him until he holds his hands up in surrender and plops down into one of the chairs sitting around the table. He quickly notices they're one chair short for this particular get together. The only company he usually has is Sam, so it's never been an issue before. Suddenly, he remembers the rolling chair he has at his desk in the guest room-turned-office, but there's no way he can get it himself. He takes a minute to picture what the room looks like and if he might have anything incriminating out before he calls Jamie over to him.

"Hey kiddo, can you do me a big favor? We need one more chair for everyone to fit at the table. Can you go into that hallway there and into the door on the left. Inside there is a computer desk with a little chair. Can you bring it out here for me?"

Jamie nods quickly and dashes into the hallway. Dean can hear faint banging and rustling before Jamie comes around the corner. He's sitting in the chair and scooting it along the floor on its squeaky wheels. Dean stifles a laugh, because he remembers always getting in trouble for scratching the floors for the same reason.

Jamie finally reaches the table just as Cas spots him. His hands are full of plates, silverware balanced on top, and his face goes beet red as he sees his son roll up to the table. 

"James Novak, what do you think you are doing?"

Jamie freezes his eyes wide. He looks between Dean and his dad.

"I...Mr. Winchester asked me to get another chair."

"I did ask him."

He's not sure he's helping, but Dean feels bad for the kid. However, he doesn't want to interfere with Cas' parenting. The other man gives a weary sigh and looks at Dean apologetically.

"I'm so sorry, Dean. I swear the kids have manners, they just haven't been to someone else's house in a while." Cas turns his intense eyes back to his son.

"You need to apologise to Mr. Winchester, Jamie, and we'll be talking about this more when we get home."

Jamie turns toward Dean but he's looking at his shoes.

"Sorry, Mr. Winchester."

"It's ok, kiddo. I should have been more specific. Thank you for the apology, though." He ruffles the kid’s dark hair to show there are no hard feelings. 

"Jamie, why don't you go get your sister and brother and you three can come help set the table?" Cas sounds a little weary, so as soon as Jamie darts off, Dean reaches out to grasp Cas' wrist before he can walk away.

"Hey man, it's ok. I mean, do what you have to do, but it's ok to relax here. I'm happy to have the kids and you in my house, and there really isn't much they can do to trash the place."

Castiel visibly relaxes and finally gives Dean a little smile. The kids crowd around Cas waiting for directions, Honey throwing longing glances back at the kitten once again curled up on the couch. Cas sends them to the bathroom to wash their hands, and then they work together to set the table, every now and again stopping to ask Dean where they could find something. Before long, the table is set and the food is sitting in the center looking absolutely mouth watering. 

Dean discovers that "confetti salad" is a green salad with different colored bell peppers cut into small squares and sprinkled over the top like confetti, and the "rainbow mash" is a vegetable mash, like regular mashed potatoes, only it's a mix of turnips, cauliflower, and purple potatoes. It smells like garlic and butter though, so Dean's not complaining. The barbecue ribs are the real show stopper though. They're country style pork ribs that Cas marinated and then cooked in the crockpot until they were practically falling apart. Dean is more than happy to tuck in as soon as everyone has food on their plates.

Dean has always loved cooking but cooking for one tends to be depressing, and lately he hasn't really had the time, so the first bite of the tender meat and the way it melts on his tongue has him moaning without conscious thought. 

"Hhmm Cas, it's so good."

There's a strange choked sound from Castiel in response, but Dean's too far gone in meat heaven to really pay much attention. In fact, he's so enthralled by the sweet barbecue flavor blooming on his tongue that he doesn't even notice he's started humming happily in the back of his throat until Honey starts to giggle, and he looks up to see Castiel's flushed face.

"Um...sorry? It's just,  _ really _ good Cas."

All three kids start to laugh at Dean's embarrassed face which only serves to make him blush as he looks back at his plate. It's also the first moment he realizes he's the only one eating with his hands.

_ 'Shit. Way to show your hick roots Winchester.' _

He gives Castiel a sheepish smile and reaches for the napkin sitting next to his plate. Carefully he cleans each finger and steadfastly ignores the little flare of disappointment that he isn't licking the sweet sauce off his fingers instead.

Wanting to get some of the attention off of himself, Dean picks up his fork and knife and turns toward the boys sitting on his left.

"So, how do you two like your substitute?"

Teddy wrinkles his nose a bit, but Jamie smiles wide and begins talking enthusiastically.

"She's super awesome. We got double read aloud time and double art time."

Dean realizes he doesn't even know  _ who  _ they got to fill in for him. He might feel a pang of jealousy to see how much Jamie likes her, but he pushes it aside. Teddy is shaking his head though.

"Yeah we got extra reading and art time but she didn't do  _ any _ of the voices, and we had to draw what she told us to. She said bugs weren't a good choice for my winter collage and I should draw something nicer."

"Well, that's totally not true. Bugs are awesome and really important to our ecosystem. I've got a whole lesson planned out about the life cycle, and we're going to have caterpillars in the classroom and everything."

Teddy's eyes light up and he launches into excited chatter about butterflies. Dean tries to keep up with everything the boy says, but he's talking so fast he misses a lot of it. Cas is looking at Teddy with soft eyes and a fond smile. 

He gets lost for a moment looking at Cas. This is nice, having people in his house again. It's so full of life and it warms something inside Dean that he's let himself ignore for a long time. He looks down at this plate to hide what must be a spectacularly sappy face. Shoveling in a large bite of food, Dean tunes back into Teddy talking just in time to hear the last bit of his conversation.

"And did you know that some doctors use maggots to clean dead flesh out of infected wounds? It's called ‘maggot therapy.’ It's so cool and gross. Dad let me watch a video about it on YouTube."

Dean blanches and has to force himself to swallow the rainbow mash in his mouth.

"Uh no, I can't say I've ever heard of that." He has to take a moment to fight the nausea that washes over him. Dean would never admit it, but he's always been a bit squeamish when it comes to medical stuff, and the thought of putting bugs into an open wound makes him want to gag.

Castiel laughs softly, and Dean looks up to see the other man looking at him. 

"Teddy, maybe it's best to talk about something else while Mr. Winchester eats."

Teddy gives him an apologetic smile and shrugs his shoulders.

"Oops, sorry Mr. Winchester."

"That's ok buddy. It is interesting but yeah maybe not while we're eating."

"Mr. Winchester," Honey pipes up. Her face is covered in barbeque sauce despite the fact she's been daintily using her fork to eat. "I  _ really  _ like your kitty. I like her half face, it's beautiful. What's her name?"

"Well, I haven't quite figured that out yet. Figured I should get to know her first and see what fits."

Honey nods along like what he's saying makes perfect sense. Cas, noticing her messy face, hands her a napkin.

"Beatrice, wipe your face please before you get sauce on your shirt."

' _ Beatrice? _ '

"Hey wait, your name is Beatrice? I thought it was Honey." Dean looks at Honey, no Beatrice, who's giggling madly like he's just told the funniest joke imaginable. The boys start to laugh too when it becomes apparent that Dean isn't joking, and Cas is looking at him like he's grown a second head.

"You thought her name was Honey? That didn't sound odd to you?"

"Dude, I wasn't judging. I've got a kid named Thor, another named Quest, and two girls named Story, one of which is spelled with an ‘i’, in my classroom. Honey Bea was a perfectly fine name as far as I was concerned."

Wide blue eyes look at him for a long moment before Cas throws his head back and laughs. It's the hardest Dean's ever seen Cas laugh, and it's fucking adorable. His smile is so big, his gums are showing, his nose is scrunched and his eyes are closed as deep huffs of laughter force their way out of him. Dean wants to spend his days making Cas laugh just like that.

"Ok, so if her name is Beatrice, can I ask where her nickname comes from?"

The little girl in question perks up.

"Cause I'm sweet like honey and  _ bi-zzzzz-eee  _ like a bee!"

She pulls the "z" out to sound like the buzz of a bee in your ear, and Dean laughs.

"Well darling, that does seem to fit you."

Cas reaches out to run his fingers through Bea's hair lovingly. "Actually there's a bit more to it than that. Before Bea was born, the ultrasound tech couldn't get a good look at whether she was a girl or a boy. She made a guess from what she could see and said ‘boy.’ I didn't mind either way, but we were rather surprised when she was born. We were expecting a little Connor but instead got a little Honey Bea. We didn't have a girl’s name picked out and couldn't really agree on anything at first, so she was just ‘baby girl Novak.’ Then they found a hole in her heart."

Dean sucks in a breath, his eyes focus on the little girl happily munching away on her dinner. She looked like a healthy little kid to him. Cas keeps stroking his fingers through her hair, his eyes a little far away as he keeps talking.

"I couldn't stand the thought of just calling her baby girl all the time, so I started calling her Honey because she had the sweetest little face. She was so very small, but they had to go in surgically to fix the problem. She was only three days old. It was horrible." Cas leans in to place a soft kiss on the top of Bea's head before pulling himself together.

"It was weeks before we were able to bring her home, but Bea's a tough little thing and she recovered remarkably well. She still has regular check ups with a cardiologist and she won't be able to do any olympic weight lifting, but for the most part, she's able to have a regular childhood. By that point, ‘Honey’ had kind of stuck, but my ex refused to actually put ‘Honey’ on her birth certificate. We ended up compromising with Beatrice so she could always be my little Honey Bea."

They sit in silence for a minute as Dean absorbs this new information about the little family he's grown so fond of.

"Wow Cas, I can't even imagine what that must have been like." Dean wishes he could wrap the other man in a hug. He looks like he could use it.

Cas shrugs again, and Dean gets the feeling he's ready to move on from the topic.

"It's actually what inspired me to become a nurse. They were amazing through the whole ordeal, and I'll never forget their kindness."

Bea, who has apparently grown tired of the grown ups talking, cuts through the heavy moment.

"Daddy I'm done, can I go play with Mr. Winchester's cat again?" The boys are quick to jump on the bandwagon.

"Yeah Dad, can we?"

"Please?"

Cas is back to smiling, and Dean feels like he can breathe a little easier. 

"If Mr. Winchester says it's ok, I don't mind. But you have to clear your plates first."

Three pairs of blue eyes turn to him, and Dean chuckles. "Doesn't bother me."

"Thank you, Mr. Winchester!"

The kids quickly clear their plates, stacking them in the sink and dashing back to the living room. There's a small pile of cat toys on the coffee table where Sam left them. Jamie finds one that looks like a fluffy ball on the end of a fishing rod and tries to coax the kitten into playing. 

Cas stands quietly and starts to clear the table. Dean isn't going to sit around and let Cas do  _ all _ the work, broken leg or not. Getting to his feet from the kitchen chair is a lot easier than from the couch, so he's feeling pretty accomplished when he manages to hobble into the kitchen with his empty plate and his crutches. While Cas deals with the leftovers, Dean parks himself in front of the sink. The dishwasher is just a smidge too far away for him to rinse and load so he just stacks the plates on the counter for now.

Castiel is moving around him as if he's been in Dean's kitchen for years, sounds of giggles and chatter coming from the living room as the kids play. It's so domestic and it's so close to everything Dean's ever wanted that for a moment, he can feel a suspicious burning behind his eyes. No way was he going to let Cas catch him crying over the dinner dishes though. He wants to convince the man to date him, not scare him away.

"Dean, would you like me to load these into the dishwasher?"

He'd been so lost in thought that Dean hadn't even noticed Cas was now standing close enough for him to feel the heat radiating off the other man's body. When a big warm hand comes to rest on the small of his back, it sends a shiver down his spine.

"Uh yeah, thanks Cas." His voice is thick with his lingering emotions, but if Castiel notices he doesn't mention it. They work in silence for a few minutes, but Dean doesn't feel the need to fill it. Eventually, they finish and head to the living room to join the kids. 

Cas ends up sitting next to Dean on the couch. It's closer to the size of a loveseat than an actual couch, so by the time they're settled, Cas is pressed against him from hip to toe. They end up talking until the kids start yawning and Cas realizes how close it is to bedtime. He offers to bring dinner again tomorrow, and Dean is quick to agree as long as Castiel is willing to let him help pay for the groceries. Dean watches Cas round up his kids, the four of them walking out the door with loud goodbyes and promises to see him tomorrow. 

It's hard to watch them go, and Dean is happy to have his new little furry friend to help stave off the loneliness. He scoops her up before she can get away and looks into her eyes remembering what Bea had said earlier.

"Huh, you do have a half face."

"Meow," is all she has to say about that, so Dean lets her down. He spends a few moments weighing the options of just sleeping on the couch or hobbling into bed. Dean's bed is one of the few items he's splurged on when furnishing his house, so it doesn't take long for him to make up his mind. After sweating through his nightly ablutions, which take three times as long to get through, Dean finally is able to sink down onto his memory foam mattress where he quickly falls asleep, already thinking about tomorrow's dinner.

  
  


♡♡♡

  
  


Over the next three days, Castiel and the kids show up around 5:00 each night for dinner and don't leave until the kids are ready to fall asleep on their feet. Castiel is a great cook, and each night after dinner, Dean would joke about needing to be rolled over to the living room. The kids would play with the cat, who Dean had started to refer to as Half-Face, Honey Bea's nickname sticking like glue, or with the old board games Dean had saved from his own childhood spent beating Sam at Battleship and having his ass handed to him in Chinese Checkers.

While the kids would play, Dean and Cas would talk. He was so used to his solitary life that it hadn't occurred to him that just having a friend to talk with would make such a difference. They didn't always talk about important stuff. Sometimes it was stories about growing up or a movie they'd both seen. Dean listens to stories about a young Cas traveling the world, the man's blue eyes lighting up as he talks about hiking to Machu Picchu, tasting chocolate in Paris, and seeing the rain forests in South America.

Dean in turn tells him about how they moved around as he was growing up. How he's seen every state of the main 48 from the backseat of the same car he drives to this day. How it had been an adventure for a while until it wasn't.

It was easy for some reason to open up to Cas. The dark haired man never judged him, or at least never let on if he was, and always seemed to know when to change the subject or when a moment of silence was appropriate.

After Castiel's weekend is over and Dean goes back to dinner for one, he feels the absence harshly. He invites Charlie over and listens to her squeal over Half-Face. They order pizza before he mentions having an old Nintendo, and they bust out some Mario Bros. before she heads home with a promise to visit again soon.

He calls Sam who spends the majority of their conversation gushing over his new colleague, a woman named Eileen who is apparently giving Sam a run for his money. Dean just lets him talk and wonders if Sam has even realized yet that he's into this chick.

He also texts Cas. The messages had started off innocently enough. Cas would text him a question about dinner or ask him how his leg was feeling. Now they trade texts throughout most of the day or evening really when Cas is on his breaks. Like their conversations after dinner, they text about all kinds of things, from why Dean wanted to be a teacher to pictures of Half-Face, to weird bug facts that Dean has been looking up for Teddy. It's nice and it does nothing but fuel Dean’s resolve to finally ask Castiel on a date. At the very least, Dean knows that Cas finds him attractive. He's always finding an excuse to stand close or reach out to touch, a hand on his shoulder, a steady grip on his elbow, a pat on the back when saying goodbye. Now, after talking everyday for almost two weeks, Dean feels confident that they are compatible in more than just physical attraction. Now he just needs to find a way to see Cas again so he can ask him out in person. Or maybe Dean should wait for his leg to heal, but that would be weeks from now, and who knows who Cas could meet in the meantime.

Dean knows it's Cas' night off tomorrow, so he decides to invite the Novaks over for dinner once again, only this time he was going to cook and let Cas sit back and relax for a change. If he got a stew going in the crockpot he'd only have to stand long enough to throw everything in. Some garlic bread and a bag of salad and it would be a balanced enough meal.

Castiel is quick to agree to his invitation and after having a few groceries delivered, Dean sets to work chopping veggies while sitting at his kitchen table.

The meal goes off without a hitch. Cas tries to help out in the kitchen, but Dean shoos him away to play with the kids while he takes care of the meal. He's gotten much better at maneuvering around with his crutches and he'd spent most of the day setting things out ahead of time as well. The food is good, and the kids are in a happy mood. Everyone is excited to learn Dean will be heading back to class after next week. He has to stay on light duty, but he's excited to get back to his kids. He's missed those little boogers.

After dinner, the kids help him clean up. Cas tries, unsuccessfully, to help with the dishes but Dean manages to get him to relax with Half-Face while he rinses, and the boys load the dishwasher. After Bea demands a job as well, he sets her to the task of wiping down the table. They work well together, and it's actually kind of fun. The kids are singing some song from the radio Dean isn't familiar with, but it's catchy and keeps them moving.

Once everything is cleaned up and in order, the kids rush to the Nintendo. This is the first time he's had it out while they were visiting, and even though they've never used an old console like Dean's, they catch on quickly. Dean pulls out a little sand timer from one of the board games to help the kids take even turns and then finally settles next to Cas on the couch.

Castiel is smiling warmly at him. He looks relaxed and happy as he strokes his fingers along the sleeping cat in his lap. 

"This has been wonderful, thank you Dean. Truly, it's the sweetest and most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me."

Dean gets lost in Cas' eyes for a minute. He has his contacts in today and as much as Dean  _ really _ likes Cas' glasses, he prefers this unobstructed view of his eyes best. Suddenly remembering Cas was talking to him, Dean ducks his head and blushes.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I'm always happy to have you guys here. You deserve to have a break sometimes too, Cas, and I'm sure that's not easy when you have kiddos to take care of, so I figured I could take care of you guys today. I was happy to do it." He sneaks a glance at Cas, only to see the other man's eyes looking suspiciously damp. Dean made him cry?

_ 'Shit way to go Winchester now he's never gonna want to go out with you. _ '

"Cas? Is...is everything okay?" Cas waves him off, but Dean can see Cad is trying to keep himself together. When he starts to speak his voice is a little watery.

"It's just been a really tough couple of years, and hearing you say that just... well, it just really means a lot." Cas wipes at his eyes but gives him a small smile.

"Cas, is it ok if I give you a hug?" 

The words are barely out of his mouth before Cas is falling into his arms. Wrapping his arms around Cas for the first time is heaven. Dean's chin nestles into the little space where Cas' neck meets his shoulder, and he sighs. They fit together like two pieces of a puzzle, and Dean's heart starts to beat wildly. Unfortunately, his mouth is quicker than his brain because without consciously making the decision, Dean starts talking.

"Go out with me, Cas. I've had a crush on you for months, and I think we'd be good together. So...please, will you go out with me?"

Cas goes stiff in his arms for a moment before gently pulling away to look him in the eye. He doesn't look pissed, but he doesn't really look like he's excited either. He looks...cautious.

"Dean, I-I don't know what to say honestly."

He feels a lead weight settle in his gut and tears his eyes away from the pleading blue of the other man's.

"No Dean, please don't be upset. I'm not saying no. I just...I need some time to think about this. I haven't dated anyone since the divorce, and I've never dated as a single father before. I don't know if I'm even in a place right now where I can handle a relationship. Please, just let me have a few days to think on it. I do care for you, Dean, very much and I want you to be happy, so I wouldn't want to give you less than you deserve."

Dean keeps his eyes locked on his feet. They look ridiculous, one in a worn out  _ Star Wars _ slipper shaped like Chewbacca, and the other wrapped in a hard cast with just his ugly toes poking out. What Cas is saying makes sense, but that doesn't make it hurt any less. But if Cas needs time, then Dean will give him time.

"Okay, Cas, but just so you know, no matter what you decide I'd still like to be your friend." Dean manages to look at Cas as he speaks. He doesn't want there to be any doubt about his sincerity.

Cas gives him a fond smile and reaches out to cup his face gently. Dean can't help but to lean into the warm palm against his cheek. Cas' thumb swipes softly under his eye once.

"Yes Dean I would very much like us to remain friends, no matter what."

Cas drops his hand, and a silence stretches out between them and for the first time, Dean desperately wishes there was something to fill it.

Jamie breaks off from the video game gang and approaches his Dad with a worried look on his face. Dean thinks maybe he screwed up and Jamie has caught on to what just happened until the kid starts to speak.

"Um Dad, I just remembered I'm supposed to bring class snack tomorrow."

Cas lets out a sigh, and Dean can visibly see him shift into Dad mode.

"Alright Jamie, why don't you go tell Teddy and Bea it's time to go, and we can stop at the market on the way home. It's getting close to bedtime anyway."

Jamie dashes off to give the news, twin groans of protest coming from the two kids still playing Duck Hunt. The kids make quick work of putting away the game and gathering their jackets and gloves. Dean follows them to the door to say goodbye.

Cas turns to him at the last minute as the kids are putting their shoes on from the little pile by the door.

"Thank you again Dean, the meal was wonderful. May I...may I hug you goodbye?" Cas looks unsure of his request, but Dean just opens his arms. Once again as he finds himself pressed chest to chest with Cas, he can't help but think of how well they fit together. When they pull apart, Cas is smiling, and Dean feels a spark of hope in his chest.

As if Cas hugging him is some kind of signal, the kids line up and each hug Dean goodbye as well, and by the time he's watching them pull away from the house while he waves from his deck, he's feeling much better about how the night has ended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How we feelin'? Also what did y'all think of Cas' dinner? I've been a vegetarian for nearly a decade and I still dream about bbq pork ribs 🤤. It's the only meat I ever crave lol.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy folks and happy Tuesday!
> 
> Big thank you to @Beatrix_Kiddo for being an awesome beta once again!
> 
> Also thank you to everyone who has read, left kudos, or commented on the story so far. You all mean the world to me and it always puts a big smile on my face to know you're enjoying the story.
> 
> You might also notice we now have a chapter count. This baby will be topping off at 13 chapters including the epilogue. So enjoy chapter 9!

* * *

Dean waves goodbye to Cas, Teddy, Jamie, and Honey Bea on a Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, Dean spends the day cleaning his house to help rid himself of the anxious energy he can feel building up inside him. He stands in the kitchen and polishes the counters, the cupboards, and all the stainless steel appliances until they shine. He organizes his closet by color and bags up a few things to donate to the local mission. He puts extra effort into his little bathroom, cleaning up the stray bits of litter from the cat's box and going through his medicine cabinet to throw out anything expired. He can't get down to really scrub the floors or get the base of the toilet, but he thinks it looks good enough for now. He goes through the entire house to dust and even manages to change his sheets. By the time he falls into bed, Dean's exhausted.

He checked his phone a dozen times throughout the day, just in case, but he doesn't hear from Cas.

On Thursday, Dean tackles his office. It's been long enough since he last cleaned up in here that the memory of the last time he organized his desk is fuzzy at best. It takes hours to go through all of the old paperwork he's let pile up, and more than half of it is able to go into the shredder. He tests every pen he comes across and tosses all the dried up ones. He sorts his paperclips by color and boots up his old monster of a desktop computer to organize all his files by subject and date. He blasts all his favorite music and sings along loudly and mostly off key. He ends up getting distracted playing solitaire on the computer until 1:00 am before dragging himself to bed and falling asleep.

He texts Sam several times to make sure his phone is still working, just in case, but he doesn't hear from Cas. 

When Friday rolls around, Dean decides he doesn't want to waste the weekend worrying about work, so he decides to get everything he needs ready today. He goes over his lesson plans, picks out his outfits for the entire week, orders a bulk supply of stickers and a fancy cat tree for Half-Face from Amazon, makes two casseroles and freezes them into single-serving dinners. He manages to wrap his leg in plastic bags and take his first full shower since his accident. He eats lasagna standing over the sink, and in an effort to get back into his work routine, he's in bed by 9:30, but the house is too quiet, and he spends most of the night staring at the ceiling.

He turned his ringer up on his phone, just in case, but he doesn't hear from Cas.

Saturday dawns sunny and cold. Christmas is just around the corner, but Dean doesn't really feel very festive. With work matters squared away, Dean doesn't bother to get dressed; he just throws on a robe and plops down on the couch to play Mario Bros. from start to finish. At some point, Half-Face curls up next to him, her little body squishes against his thigh making a singular point of warmth. He beats all 32 levels of his game before lunch, which is just in time for his stomach to start complaining. He's raiding the cupboards for every bit of junk food he's got stashed in the house when the doorbell rings. His packages from Amazon are on his porch, and Dean suddenly has something new to occupy his thoughts. It takes more than two hours to put the cat tree together, but seeing his little fuzzball curl up in the perch on the top makes his insides go gooey. He breaks down and orders Chinese take out for dinner which he eats in front of his tv while watching Stallone movies, where he passes out still wearing just his boxers, a white undershirt, and his robe. 

His phone was in his robe pocket all day, just in case, but he doesn't hear from Cas.

The next morning Dean is startled awake by a loud knocking on the front door. He groans and looks at his watch, frowning. It's really early for someone to be knocking on a Sunday. He manages to get off the couch after a brief struggle, his body sore from being in one position for so long. Looking down at himself, Dean sighs. He's still not dressed but he figures if you come pounding on a man's door at ass o'clock on a Sunday morning, you can't expect to see him at his best.

The persistent knocking sounds again.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, hold yer horses."

Dean does a slow step and swing with his crutches to the door, rips it open mid-knock, and nearly takes a fist to the face.

"Jesus Christ, what the fu- _Cas_?"

Dean stands stupefied as he takes in the sight of Castiel standing on his porch. He's got his scrubs on, so he must have just come off a shift. He's got a thick jacket on to stave off the cold, but it's open in the front like he couldn't be bothered to zip it. And his hair looks fucked six ways from Sunday. His eyes are dark and intense as he starts speaking in a rush.

"I can't do casual."

"Wha-" Dean doesn't even get the word out before Cas is interrupting him.

"No, Dean, just...just let me get this out, please." 

Dean shuts his mouth with an audible snap. When he doesn't say anything, Cas seems to take that as his cue to start talking again.

"I might not have a partner, but I'm not single. I'm a package deal, and there is nothing on this earth that means more to me than my children. So, I can't just think about what I want. I have to also think about what would be best for them. So, if you really want to date me, you need to understand that I can't do casual. Even if we don't stay together forever, I need to know there is at least the possibility of a future before I allow myself or my kids to get any more attached than we already are. Also, you're the boys' teacher, and they are flourishing in school, in no small part thanks to you. If we don't work out, I can't have that affecting them. We've been through a lot and I know it sounds crazy and it's probably way too much pressure just for a date, but I need you to know what you would be getting yourself into. Because Dean, I'm not going to lie, I really like you, and the children like you, and I can see us being something really special, but if you're just looking to have some fun or if you're only interested in..." -- Cas' eyes flick down to stare at Dean's mouth -- "...sex, then just let me know now, because as much as I would enjoy that, I don't think it would be possible for me to have an intimate realationship with you and not get attached. So yes, I would like to go out with you, but I can't do casual."

Cas takes in a deep breath, fidgeting with the zipper on his jacket as he waits for Dean to respond, but all Dean can do is stare at the dark-haired man as his brain tries to process what just happened. The words he so desperately wants to say are stuck in his throat, and as time ticks by, Cas starts to sag in front of him.

"I know it's a lot, Dean. I'm sorry for springing all that on you. If you need some time to think it over, I will obviously understand."

Cas takes one step back as if to leave, and Dean finally manages to shake off his shock to speak.

"No."

Cas' shoulders hunch forward, drawing into himself, and Dean scrambles to elaborate.

"No Cas, I mean, No I don't need to think about it. I know what I want, and I know what it meant when I asked you out. I want you, Cas, and everything that comes with dating you."

He's barely finished speaking before Cas flings himself into Dean's arms. He just manages to brace himself in time to keep them from toppling over, but it's worth it to have Cas here with him, to know that he wants Dean just as much as he wants Cas.

Cas pulls back just enough to stare into Dean's eyes, and Dean's gut swoops as he realizes what's happening. Cas is leaning in slow, asking the question with his eyes, and Dean _knows_ in that moment that they're about to kiss for the first time. His eyes flutter shut as Cas' plush lips press against his, and it's everything Dean had hoped it would be. 

Cas' lips are warm and a little chapped from working all night, but they're still soft and he parts them willingly when Dean traces the tip of his tongue along their seam. He moans when he gets his first taste of the other man's mouth. It's minty like he's been chewing gum or sucking on tic tacs, and Dean has a flash of guilt, because his own mouth must be sour from sleep.

That thought has him breaking away to give Cas an apologetic smile.

"Sorry if my mouth is rank, you woke me up, didn't have a chance to brush my teeth yet."

Cas just smiles at him and reaches out to brush his fingers along his forehead and down the side of his face.

"It's ok, Dean. I'm just happy to be here, in this moment, with you. Morning breath and all."

Dean knows he must be smiling like a dope and he can feel his cheeks heating up. He drops his head to hide the blush and realizes they're still in his doorway.

"Can you come in and stay for awhile?"

Cas nods his head, "Anna is with the kids until 3:00."

They stumble into the house trying to stay close but tripping over Dean's crutches. Dean takes a moment to cast his eyes around the room to make sure Half-Face didn't sneak out the door while he was focused on Cas. He sees her curled up in her new favorite sleeping spot at the top of the cat tree and breathes a sigh of relief. So far, she hasn't appeared very interested in trying to get out of the house, but Dean doesn't want to take a chance of losing her.

He starts towards the couch, but after he gets an eye full of the leftover take out containers littering the coffee table and the flat cushions from where he slept all night, the thought of sitting for one more minute on that damn couch makes his skin crawl and his leg throb. He bites his lip as he weighs his options. He might have just woken up, but Cas must be exhausted, so he decides to go with his gut.

"Hey, um, not to sound too forward, but my leg is actually killing me from sleeping on the couch all night. Would you mind if we sat on the bed so I can stretch out?"

Cas' face morphs into one of concern.

"Of course Dean, whatever would be more comfortable for you. You get around so well with your crutches, it's easy to forget how fresh your break still is."

Dean gently brushes a few stray hairs off of Cas' forehead before ducking down to press a soft kiss on the side of his mouth and to the crease between his brows.

"Don't fret, Cas, I'm only sore because I was feelin' sorry for myself and decided sleeping in front of the tv was a better choice than getting my lazy ass up and into bed."

That puts a smile back on Cas' face, which makes Dean happy as he leads the way to his bedroom. As the other man walks into Dean's room for the first time, he's suddenly thankful for all his restless cleaning. 

The room isn't large but it's clean and smells like fresh laundry. Since he didn't sleep in it last night, Dean's bed is still made up with his nice slate grey comforter and matching sheets with no less than four plump pillows just calling Dean's name. The lone night stand is cleared of all the old cups that had accumulated over the last week, leaving just a slim reading lamp and a single book on top.

He moves to start turning down the bed when a hand on his elbow stops him.

"Do you have a pair of sweats I could borrow? I don't want to get into your bed with my scrubs on. Even if they don't look dirty they've been exposed to all my patients throughout the night."

Dean makes a face at the thought of all those hospital germs in his bed, which earns a soft chuckle form Cas. Making a beeline to the dresser against the far wall, Dean pulls out an old pair of sweatpants and his favorite top, an old worn Led Zeppelin t-shirt his dad had given him years ago.

"Do you want to shower first, too?"

Cas appears to be seriously considering the offer, before he shakes his head.

"No, it wasn't a very busy night. I'll just freshen up real quick and change in the bathroom. Thank you, Dean."

Cas reaches out to squeeze his bicep before excusing himself to the bathroom. Before he gets in bed, Dean digs around the nightstand drawer for the bottle of ibuprofen he keeps there for when his leg is really hurting. He pops the lid and swallows two dry; he knows his stomach will give him hell for it later, but he doesn't want to shuffle into the kitchen right now.

Crawling into bed, Dean gets settled on the right side so Cas will have to sit on the side with his non injured leg. He's hoping to get a little snuggle time in, but he doesn't want to look presumptuous, so he fluffs the pillows so he can lean against the headboard.

The sound of the bathroom door opening has Dean looking up just in time to see Cas filling his doorway. He nearly swallows his tongue as he takes in the sight of Cas wearing his clothes. The sweats are a bit snug on Cas' thick thighs, and the shirt hangs a little loose in the shoulders. His dark hair is fluffy and Cas looks tired as fuck, but something about the sight has heat simmering low in Dean's belly. It's easy for Dean to imagine this is what it would be like waking up with Cas everyday, and all it does is stoke the fire in his gut.

Cas seems to hesitate when he sees him already in bed, so Dean pats the sheet beside him and gives him an encouraging smile. That's all it takes to have the other man crawling into his bed. Cas lifts Dean's arm so he can settle in under it, tucked perfectly against his chest with one arm around his middle. Cas nuzzles against Dean's shirt for a moment before melting against him with a sigh. Dean smiles and presses his face into Cas' hair for a moment and just breathes deep, savoring the warmth of another body pressed along his side. It's been a long time since he's felt like this, and with Cas, it seems to only be amplified. He tightens his arm around Cas' shoulders and brings his other hand up to brush his fingers along the skin of Cas' arm.

They lay in comfortable silence for so long, Dean thinks Cas has fallen asleep, so he's surprised when the other man starts talking.

"I was really young when I met my ex-husband, and honestly we didn't really date. He had a lot of money and freedom, and I had spent my life being sheltered from the world. He introduced me to a whole new world and it didn't take much for me to feel like I was in love. In the beginning, we had a lot of fun and I do think he cared for me in his own way. But ultimately, I was another pretty thing he collected and placed on display in his house. When I started to see beyond the surface and question my feelings, he gave me the one thing I'd always wanted and never thought I could have: a family."

Cas is quiet as he talks, and Dean has to strain to hear him. He gets the feeling Cas hasn't really talked about this stuff before, so he holds him tight as he listens.

"Our split was...complicated. From the beginning, Jay hadn't been a huge presence in the kids’ lives, but he was there in the background and a lot more hands-on with the boys before the charm of them being new wore off. They were almost more like accessories, something he thought he ought to want and that made a nice picture. He was thrilled about the twins. 

"’Multiples are very trendy right now, Cassie,’ he'd said. And I laughed like a fucking idiot thinking it was a joke. The boys had actually been his idea. We mixed our samples together so we wouldn't know who was the biological father. I was so happy and they were so beautiful and perfect. For me, more children was never a question of if but when. We went through the same process with Bea. Jay wasn't as enthusiastic as the first go-around, but he went along with it.

“It kept me around for much longer than I would have, but after Bea was born and all the complications she had, I think he started to see us as more of a chain holding him back than a trophy to show off. The kids are all biologically mine as it turns out, but he had no interest in splitting custody anyway."

Here, Cas turns to hide his face against Dean's chest.

"He offered me money in exchange for severing his parental rights and responsibilities. I feel so guilty sometimes for taking the money, but I signed a pre-nup, and I was about to be the sole provider for three kids. I'd never even worked a real job before and I was just finishing my nursing studies. It felt like forcing him to be in their lives would have done more harm than good in the long run anyway, but that doesn't stop me from feeling like a horrible parent… from feeling like I failed them sometimes."

Cas lets out a deep breath, "I guess I'm telling you all this because, technically, I have no idea how to date, and I'm a little scared, and I think you should know what kind of baggage I'm bringing into this."

Dean shifts his hand from Cas' shoulder to burrow it into his thick dark hair. He scratches lightly along the other man's scalp as he takes a minute to gather his thoughts.

"First of all Cas, you are an amazing dad. Take it from someone who knows a thing or two about shitty fathers. You were in a tough position, and frankly your ex sounds like a real asshole for putting you in it. But uh, thank you for telling me."

Now it was Dean's turn to take a deep breath. After everything Cas had shared, it only seems fair that Dean opens up too.

"So uh, full disclosure Cas: I can't say I really know how to date either. After my mom died, my dad went a little nuts. Drank his way through job after job and town after town. He just kept moving me and Sammy trying to run from his own personal demons, only to drink himself into an early grave. We never really stayed anywhere long enough for me to date, and by the time we settled here, I was spending more time taking care of Sam than being a kid. In my twenties, once Sam headed off to California for school, I went a little wild. Drank a lot, slept around a lot, barely passed a lot of my classes. Once my dad got sick though, it kind of woke me up."

Dean keeps petting Cas' hair as he talks, finding the motion rather soothing.

"I didn't...didn't want to end up like him. Tried dating this girl Lisa for a while. Actually, that kid Ben you met with me at the park is her son. That was my longest relationship but at the time she was still really into the bar scene, and I just couldn't stomach it anymore. 

“It was a messy break up and after that, I just didn't bother trying anymore. It was just a coincidence that I got paired with Ben in the mentor program. I knuckled down at school, uh kind of still spent a few years bed-hopping, but that got old and, well, lonely so I just gave up all together and focused on finishing school. Gonna be real honest with you, Cas...you already mean more to me than Lisa ever did, and I'm fucking terrified of messing this up because I have _no_ idea what I'm doing."

Cas tightens his arm around Dean and leans up to press gentle kisses along his jaw. 

"Well then, we'll just have to make it up as we go along, won't we?"

Dean turns his head to capture those wandering lips with his own, losing himself in the joy of finally being able to touch and taste the man he's slowly been falling for over the last three months. He doesn't push for more, because he knows there will be time for that later and he'd rather have the use of both of his legs when they get to that point. After a while, their kisses turn more soft with longer pauses between each one until Cas is snoring softly against Dean's chest, his face relaxed in sleep and looking devastatingly handsome. Dean places one last kiss to the center of Cas' forehead and whispers, "Sleep well Cas," before letting his own eyes close as he drifts off to sleep himself.

  
  


♡♡♡

The room is bright when Dean wakes slowly to the feeling of fingers running through his hair. He hums happily and leans into the touch. The fingers start to pull away and he tries to follow them but cracks an eye when he hears a low chuckle. Cas is sitting on the edge of the bed watching Dean, so he shuffles over to rest his head on the other man’s thigh.

"Hhmm, hey Cas." He looks up into bloodshot blue eyes and frowns.

"What's wrong with your eyes?"

Cas' cheeks color, and he ducks his head to break their eye contact.

"Ah yes, well, I wasn't really planning on sleeping here and I still have my contacts in from last night. My eyes are a bit irritated."

Dean shudders at the thought of sleeping with little pieces of glass against his eyeballs. Cas' fingers go back to playing with Dean's hair as he starts talking again. The deep rumble of his voice wraps around him like a blanket.

"I hate to say it, but it's time for me to go. Anna's going to be wanting to get home soon, and the kids will be wondering where I am. I'm sure you have a lot to do to get ready for your first day back tomorrow, too."

Dean nuzzles into Cas' thigh and tries to hide his disappointment. As much as he wishes he'd stay, Dean won't ask that of the other man. He never wants to put Cas into the position of choosing between him and his children, and asking Cas to stay would be doing just that.

Cas smiles warmly down at him for a moment before bending to drop a chaste kiss to his lips. 

"I'll call you later so we can plan our first official date, and I'll see you in the morning at drop off."

"Hmm, sounds like a plan, sweetheart. You can just wear those clothes home if you want and I'll get them from you later."

Cas positively beams at him, and Dean thinks he could go the whole rest of his life without the sun as long as he had Cas around to shine his light on him.

"Thank you Dean, I'd like that. Although I can't promise you'll be getting your shirt back." Cas gives him a sly smile, and butterflies burst into flight in Dean's stomach.

"Don't you think it's a little early in our relationship to be stealing clothes?"

Cas laughs and ruffles his hair.

"Nope."

With laughter dancing in his eyes, Cas bends to give him one last kiss, before he brushes his thumb along Dean's bottom lip and whispers goodbye.

Dean watches him leave with a smile plastered across his face and his heart feeling like it's too big for his chest. Rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling, Dean can feel it all the way down to his bones, that this is the start of something amazing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok how are we feeling? We're here finally! 
> 
> *Edit 3/16/20: PSA Dean calling Cas' contacts little pieces of glass is of course not true. Contacts are not actually made of glass and I apologize if that caused any confusion.*
> 
> Originally this story was supposed to go into a much different direction with conflict being introduced to test their relationship etc, but I couldn't do it to them lol. So it's all fluff and smut from this point on!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday everyone! 
> 
> Hold on and strap in because not only have we reached the smut portion of this fic but this chapter is just over 9k long. The rest of the remaining chapters will be closer to the normal 3/4k length but I had a lot to get into this one.
> 
> 💙Also a note about the timeline💙  
> Just to refresh y'all's memories, Dean broke his leg at the end of Thanksgiving break and he and Cas got together early December. 
> 
> As always thank you to @Beatrix_Kiddo for being a kickass beta and cheerleader! And thank you! All of you who have read or commented or left kudos. You all keep me going 😍.

* * *

♡♡♡

Cas fidgets with the shoebox full of bug-themed Valentine’s cards in his hands. Teddy had insisted on bringing Dean flowers and had picked out possibly the biggest, tackiest, pink and red bouquet of daisies Cas has ever seen. He's just glad he'd been able to talk his son out of the roses which had been hiked up to a whopping $70. With Teddy's hands full, Cas was in charge of his box of Valentine's cards. Jamie and Bea both had their own boxes of cards, one with superhero-themed cards, and the other with some kind of weird rainbow farting cat that was very popular, Cas had been told. 

Today was more than just the kids’ Valentine's day party though, because tonight after almost three months of family dinners and movie nights, Cas was finally going out on a real date with his boyfriend. It was just luck that it also happened to be Valentine's day. He tries to school his features into a more cool and aloof mask, but as soon as they walk through the doorway of the twins’ classroom and he catches his first glimpse of Dean for the day, he can't help the dopey smile that spreads across his face.

Dean's dressed in dove grey slacks and a pink pinstripe button down and a skinny white tie that's come loose around his neck a bit. He looks adorable, and Cas wants nothing more than to kiss him silly right where he's standing. That wouldn't be the best idea though, since they both agreed to keep their relationship on the down low until the boys move up into the 4th grade. There wasn't any rule that said they couldn't date, but Dean didn't want to cause any drama since his first year was considered a trial run with the board.

Cas stands back to watch Teddy approach Dean with his gift. He can't hear their exchange, but he can see the soft smile Dean gives his son as he squats down to look him in the eye. They exchange a few words before Teddy hands over the flowers, and Dean gives him one of those side hugs all teachers are trained to give. Dean is careful to treat the boys the same at school as he does all his other students, even though on any given night of the week you could find him on Cas’ couch with the children in what can only be described as a puppy pile while they watched cartoons or Dean read them a bedtime story. 

Jamie is standing next to him quietly as Bea vibrates on his other side, waiting to give Dean the slice of fresh pie she picked out for him while they were at the store buying flowers.

Dean looks up and makes eye contact with Cas over the top of Teddy's head and nods towards the flowers, raising his eyebrow in a question. Cas smiles and points to himself shaking his head before pointing at Teddy's back and mouthing "His idea." Dean's face goes sappy in a way that makes Cas' heart swell. 

Teddy dashes back to Cas to collect his box of cards, hugging his dad and sister goodbye before heading to his seat. Jamie has been hanging back still standing next to Cas and staring down at his box. Cas isn't used to seeing Jamie so shy; usually he's excited and chomping at the bit to say goodbye and get to his friends. Dean seems to notice something is up as well when he heads over and Jamie doesn't acknowledge him beyond a shy hello. Cas leans in to speak in a quiet voice with Dean.

"Would you be able to keep an eye on Bea for a minute? I'm going to talk with Jamie out in the hall."

Dean gives him a worried look but nods in agreement.

"Of course Cas, take your time." He turns to give the little girl bouncing at Cas' side a megawatt smile. "Hey there, Honey Bea, you want to help me get these beauties in some water?" 

Bea herself looks like a walking Valentine's advertisement. She has on white and red striped tights, a bright red skirt, and a dark blue shirt with a big red heart on it. She even managed to talk Cas into buying her a little red heart headband to tuck into her hair. She follows Dean willingly, and Cas hears a happy exclamation of "Pie!" from his boyfriend before they step out of the room.

Cas gently leads Jamie just outside the door into the quickly emptying hallway. Squatting down so he's eye level with his son, Cas reaches out to brush his bangs from his downcast eyes. It was getting time for the boys to get a haircut. 

"Want to tell me what's bugging you, sweetheart?"

Jamie looks down at his feet for a minute while he picks at his nails. Cas has to strain to hear him when he starts whispering.

"Teddy got De- I mean, Mr. Winchester--" Jamie catches himself quickly. They had talked to the kids about why, even though it was ok to call Dean by his name outside of class, they should continue to refer to him as Mr. Winchester while at school, and Cas has to marvel at how adaptable children are because they rarely slip up. "--nice flowers and Honey Bea got him pie an' all I got him is a stupid card. He's gonna think it's dumb ‘cause my drawing sucks. What if he thinks I don't like him as much 'cause I didn't bring flowers or pie?"

Cas has to struggle to keep a smile off his face because, while he might find it incredibly endearing in the moment, Jamie felt real worry about Dean's feelings.

"Oh honey, of course Dean will love your card, especially because you spent time drawing it yourself. It shows you put a lot of time and effort into making something special just for him that no one else will have."

Jamie perks up a little at that. "I did spend a really long time on it."

Cas does smile now and ruffles his son's soft fluffy hair. 

"Why don't we go back in and you can give him his card now before class starts?"

Jamie nods his head enthusiastically and rushes back into the classroom. Cas watches as he digs his card out of his shoebox and goes to wait by Dean, who's attempting to fix a crying girl’s braid that appears to have come loose while Bea chatters away next to him. Jamie bounces on the balls of his feet as he waits for Dean to finish so he can present his card. Dean pats the little girl on the head, her braid now remade if a bit sloppy, and she gives him a quick hug before going back to her table.

Dean is smiling as he takes Jamie's card, and Cas can see the exact moment that Dean figures out what he's looking at. His face goes soft and his eyes look a little glassy as Jamie points to the picture on the card and chatters away. Cas can hear Dean's choked "I love it, buddy, thank you" from across the room, and suddenly his own eyes are suspiciously damp. He never thought seeing his children becoming close with another man would fill his heart with so much joy, but here he is, ready to burst with it.

  
  
  


Bea runs over to grab Cas' hand, and he quickly shakes himself out of his thoughts to smile down at his daughter.

"Daddy, Mr. Winchester was so happy when I gave him pie, he said he's gonna eat it for lunch! For lunch, Daddy! I told him he needs to eat his sandwich first, or he'll gets a stomach ache."

The sound of Dean's laughter distracts Cas from the serious look on his daughter's face.

"Yes you did darling, and I'll be sure to do that. You two better hurry to class though, or you'll be late. Cas I'll be seeing you later." Dean gives him a sly wink as he walks over to his desk to carefully prop Jamie’s card against the vase where Teddy's flowers sit. The thought of tonight has Cas' cheeks blushing, so he hustles Bea out the door so they aren't late getting her to class.

  
  


♡♡♡

  
  
  
  
  


Nerves and excitement were battling inside Cas as he waits for Dean to pick him up for their date. Anna had graciously agreed to babysit as long as she can leave by 10:00 to get to her own party. He's excited to get out and have some grown-up fun for a change. He couldn't wait to see what Dean had planned for them, as he had insisted on taking the reins for their first date _and_ on keeping it a surprise. The nerves were more about what might happen this evening because, while they haven't exactly been saving themselves for any particular moment, with Dean's leg, Cas' work schedule, plus the kids always being around, they hadn't actually found the right time to "go all the way," so to speak. 

For the first few weeks after they got together, their dates pretty much consisted of family dinners and movie nights at Cas' house. It was always wonderful having Dean over and much to Cas' delight, he'd found the other man to be wonderfully tactile. He had a habit of touching Cas every time they crossed paths, be it a hand to the small of his back, a squeeze of his bicep, or a soft kiss to any exposed skin he can reach.

Cas blushes as he remembers the night they'd stayed up watching movies in the family room after the children had gone to bed. There was no school the next day because of Martin Luther King, Jr. day, and Cas was off from work, so they were indulging in the rare time they had to themselves. They had started out just innocently snuggling in front of the tv when Dean had needed to shift to accommodate his leg. They ended up with Dean stretched out on his back with Cas settled between his legs and laying on top of him chest to chest. It was nice, especially when Dean had started running his deft fingers through Cas' thick dark hair. In the lull of the credits while Cas tried to work up the will to move and put in a new dvd, the snuggling had shifted into light kisses, which had quickly grown into making out like horny teenagers. 

It was Cas that had started with the grinding. The sounds of Dean moaning as Cas pressed down against his rapidly filling cock sent heat straight to Cas' own swollen member. Suddenly, Cas was desperate to hear Dean falling apart under him. He wanted to see this beautiful man come undone knowing _he_ was the one driving Dean out of his mind.

With a Herculean effort, he pulls away from Dean's lips to blaze a trail of hot wet kisses along his jaw and down his neck. Cas growls impatiently when he encounters Dean's t-shirt. It has to go. He sits up and grabs the hem, looking at Dean for permission. 

Dean lets out a breathy "Oh hell yes," and Cas rips the offending shirt up and off to expose Dean's bare chest. He stares for a moment taking in Dean's well formed chest and arms, drawing his eyes down passed perky nipples to a slim waist and soft stomach, and a fresh wave a lust rolls through him. 

"God, you're beautiful."

Dean blushes, but Cas doesn't give him time to be self conscious as he makes quick work of his own t-shirt and dives in to claim Dean's mouth once again, letting out a soft whimper at how good it feels to be pressed together skin to skin. Dean's hands trail hot down his spine, his fingers digging in just hard enough to leave nail tracks down Cas' back. When he reaches Cas' ass, Dean grabs on with both hands and thrusts up into Cas who can't help the needy sound he makes.

"Fuck Cas, tell me what you want, sweetheart. What are we doing?"

Cas pauses from where he's placing kisses down Dean's chest, making his way towards his tempting nipples. 

What _does_ he want right now? 

It may be a bit of a mood killer, but they probably _should_ have this talk before getting too into things. He thumbs Dean's nipple and silently promises himself he'll get his chance to taste later. He folds his arms across Dean's chest and props his chin on them so they can look each other in the eye.

Dean quirks his mouth into a fond smile and goes back to running his fingers through Cas' hair, the fire of lust turned down to a simmer but still present as they look at each other.

"I want you Dean, however you're willing to share yourself, but I guess for tonight I just want to touch you and feel you touch me. I don't have any supplies in the house, and I'm worried about aggravating your leg if we attempt anything too strenuous." His tongue darts out to wet his lips before he draws the lower one in between his teeth. "I'd love to taste you, to use my mouth to give you pleasure..." At that, Dean lets out a soft whimper, and Cas smiles before dropping a quick peck on his lips. "...but like I said, I don't have any condoms, and I don't feel comfortable exchanging fluids until we've both been tested for STIs." 

Cas worries at his lip and wonders if this will be a point of contention between them. This is their first time really having a sex talk, but Cas hopes they can come to a mutually satisfying agreement.

"That makes sense, Cas. I'm uh, I'm clean just for the record. I got tested regularly back in my hay day and haven't been with anyone since my last test, but I'd be willing to get a new one if that makes you feel better."

Dean never fails to surprise him with how considerate he is when it comes to making Cas comfortable. 

"I would appreciate that Dean, thank you. I'll also be making an appointment even though my last test came back clean as well." He drops his eyes in embarrassment. "I can worry sometimes, about certain things, especially the idea that something could make me sick enough to not be able to care for my children. It can make me neurotic sometimes."

Dean cups his face gently and brings him forward for a kiss. 

"You don't have to apologize for wanting to be safe, Cas. Besides, I'm more than happy to touch you, anyway you'd like." Dean emphasizes his words by running his hands firmly down Cas' sides to settle on his hips and closing the gap between them once again in a kiss.

They ended up rutting against each other while Cas attempted to kiss and lick every inch of Dean's exposed chest, and Dean held his hips in a firm grasp as they thrust their hips desperately seeking much needed friction. Dean comes first with Cas' mouth locked onto one of his nipples and his hands buried in Cas' hair. Cas is only seconds behind him as he spills into his boxers and groans against Dean's flushed skin.

They hadn't wasted time after that getting tested so they could explore each other with greater ease. They may not have found the right moment for penetrative sex, but they had certainly found ways of exploring each other in the limited time they were able to eke out.

The night Dean got his cast off, the kids had barely gone to bed before he'd crowded Cas up against his bedroom wall and kissed him senseless before dropping to his knees. With a rough yank, he'd tugged Cas' sleep pants down to mid thigh and swallowed his dick whole. It all happened so fast, Cas wasn't even hard yet when Dean took him into his mouth. Feeling the way his cock filled out and lengthened inside the wet heat of his boyfriend's mouth was something else entirely though, and he had to bite the sleeve of his shirt to keep from moaning loud enough to wake the whole house. 

Watching Dean's beautiful lush mouth wrapped around the girth of his cock, his lips straining and going white along the edges from the stretch, was like a religious experience, and when thick calloused fingers started playing with his balls, Cas' eyes damn near rolled up into the back of his head. He widened his stance and braced his back against the wall. He'd threaded tentative fingers into Dean's short hair, feeling a little unsure with how rough he could be. But the needy sound of Dean's groan spilling out from around the fullness of his cock had him tightening his fingers on reflex. 

Dean's eyes were dark when he looked up from under his lashes to meet Cas' own wide blue ones. He hallowed his cheeks and bobbed his head as he attempted to suck Cas' soul straight out through his dick.

" _Fuck_ , Dean, your mouth."

If it's possible to smirk with a dick half down your throat, Dean was doing it as he squeezed Cas' thigh with one hand and let his other drag dry fingers against Cas' furled entrance, causing him to cry out and thrust hard into Dean's mouth. His boyfriend gagged for a moment but didn't pull off. Instead, he'd doubled his efforts bobbing up and down Cas' shaft as he put gentle pressure against his dry hole. Cas couldn't stop his hips from thrusting shallowly into the wet heat. He already knew he was going to blow embarrassingly fast, but when he felt his balls start drawing up and his whole body tensing like a rope about to snap, he knew he was done for. 

He had a split second to decide what to do and, out of courtesy, he'd yanked Dean off of his dick to keep from coming down the other man's throat. But it wasn't fast enough to keep from erupting onto Dean's beautiful face, so Cas just gripped his cock and worked himself through the best fucking orgasm of his life as he held Dean's hair tight in his fist in order to keep him right in the path of his release.

There was a smug possessiveness that flashed through him at seeing Dean so thoroughly marked by him, but it was quickly followed by guilt and he'd dropped down to his knees so he could gently wipe his spunk off of Dean's face with the corner of his shirt.

"Dean, fuck, I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you? I should have asked if it was ok for me to do that. I know not everyone likes it." He babbled while he cleaned his boyfriend's face. He'd kept his eyes firmly fixed on Dean's swollen lips so he didn't have to see the look in those green eyes that were beginning to mean so much to him. Warm hands had come up to grip his wrists.

"Cas, look at me."

Reluctantly, he'd looked up to see Dean's eyes still dark with lust.

"Cas, I promise you I loved every second of that, and for the record, next time if you want to come in my mouth, I will swallow every drop." He gave Cas a wink, and the dark haired man had groaned as he felt his spent dick give a valiant twitch of interest. Cas was a relatively young guy in his prime, but even he needed at least a few minutes before round two.

"Cas, sweetheart, we can have a more detailed kink discussion later, but right now I'm hard enough to pound nails. So either I need to excuse myself to the bathroom, _or_ if you want you can come a little closer and let me rub up against you for a bit."

Cas had laughed and wrapped his arms around Dean's neck to press kisses all along the face he'd just finished defiling. There was a salty aftertaste to Dean's skin that fueled the fire still burning in his belly. Cas stood up and hauled Dean to his feet so he could lead him to the bed where he spread his boyfriend out on his back. 

Dean was still fully dressed, his hard cock making an obscene tent in his jeans. Cas made quick work of stripping off Dean's pants while the green-eyed man struggled out of his shirt. At one point, Cas couldn't stop laughing when Dean got tangled in his shirt and had to ask for help. When he finally managed to lift the shirt off his head, he looked so adorably grumpy that Cas couldn't keep from kissing those pouty lips.

"You're cute when you pout," he'd said in between kisses, which only made Dean grump harder.

"I don't _pout_."

Cas chuckled darkly and started to trail kisses down the newly exposed skin of his boyfriend's chest.

"Whatever you say, dear."

Before Dean could respond, Cas traced his hot tongue over a dark nipple, making Dean moan and bury his hands into Cas' hair holding him in place. It hadn't taken Cas long to discover his boyfriend had sensitive nipples, and he loves the needy sounds he's able to wring from the other man just from playing with them.

He spent minutes, hours, days worshipping Dean's skin, tasting every surface down to the arches of his elegant feet, but it wasn't until Dean was babbling, begging Cas to stop teasing, that he finally gave in and wrapped his lips around the swollen head of Dean's cock.

Cas closed his eyes in ecstasy the moment he got that first hit of salty musk flavor on his tongue. God, it's been so long since he's done this, and he's always been partial to giving head. Just the weight of a cock in his mouth again has his dick perking back up in interest. The fact that it's _Dean_ he's doing this with has his heart racing as well when he sinks down to take in his entire length. He hums happily in the back of his throat when he finds he can fit all of Dean down without gagging, which was no small feat because, while Dean might not be as girthy as Cas, he had at least an inch on him in length.

Dean was lost in his own pleasure, incoherent as he rocked his hips up into the blazing heat of Cas’ mouth, and Cas just lets him go. He wants Dean to fuck his mouth with reckless abandon and to seek out his pleasure. He wants to give Dean everything he has, and he wants to swallow every fucking drop he can wring out of his boyfriend tonight. But Dean is being _polite_ and is keeping his thrusts shallow to keep from choking Cas, so he pulls off Dean's cock with an obscene pop.

"It's ok Dean, I can take it. I want you to fuck my mouth. Please, I wanna taste you."

Dean lets out a strangled groan and nods his head frantically as Cas bends his head back down to take Dean's leaking dick back into his mouth. Strong hands grip his hair tightly and hold him down so his nose is nestled in the thatch of sandy colored pubes surrounding Dean's cock. He swallows around the length in his throat, and Dean lets out a sound like he's been punched in the gut. He lets Cas up to breathe for a moment before starting to thrust slow and deep, his cock slipping into Cas' relaxed throat with every other pass.

" _Jesus_ Cas, you look beautiful like this."

Cas moans brokenly around his mouthful and opens his eyes to see Dean staring at him in slack-jawed wonder, as if he can't believe Cas is real, and Cas shudders under the intense gaze.

"Cas, _Cas_ I'm gonna, _fuck_ I'm-"

Cas keeps his eyes locked on Dean as he hollows out his cheeks and bobs his head in a little nod of permission. Suddenly, Cas' mouth is being flooded with bitter fluid as Dean explodes down his throat. Cas swallows as much as he can, but there's so much a few stray drops manage to seep from the corners of his stretched lips. Dean shudders and shakes under him as Cas works him through his release. Dean pulls out with a groan and gently wipes up the trails of come from the corners of Cas' lips with his fingers and feeds it back into Cas' eager mouth so he makes a show of sucking them clean.

"Holy shit Cas, that was insane." Dean looks boneless and sated, but Cas is once again hard as a rock.

He climbs over Dean until his knees are straddling his chest. Dean's hands come up to grip his hips while Cas strips his cock hard and fast. There's plenty of precome to slick the way, and he locks eyes with Dean, moaning at how debauched he looks with his still swollen lips and fucked out eyes. He leans forward so the tip of his cock is resting on Dean's lips, and green eyes ignite as he realizes what Cas is after.

"Please Dean, just let me _..._ "

Dean nods and opens his mouth just in time for Cas to spill onto his waiting tongue. Pink lips wrap around just the tip to suckle on his cock as Cas works through his second orgasm of the evening. Dean licks and slurps and kisses him clean until he becomes too sensitive and even the lightest touch is overwhelming. With a sigh, he flops down next to Dean on the bed feeling wrung out as he floats on post climax endorphins.

Dean snuggles into his side instantly and, despite being sweaty as all hell, Cas gathers him in his arms. They lay there together basking in the afterglow until the feeling of drying sweat makes Dean squirm. They end up in the shower, taking advantage of Cas' superior water pressure to take their time washing each other and kissing in long slow drags under the warm spray of the water.

Saying goodnight and watching Dean head home hours later was heart wrenching, but Cas hadn't been quite ready to have his children wake up to another man at the house, even if it was Dean. But that was weeks ago, and if Cas has his way tonight he'll be able to spend the entire night in his boyfriend's arms.

♡♡♡

  
  


The rumble of Dean's Impala rips Cas from his thoughts, and he quickly checks himself over one more time in the mirror. The kids are already out with Anna for the evening at a local pizza place that has an attached arcade, leaving Cas to wait impatiently for Dean.

The doorbell rings through the house and Cas smiles wide at his boyfriend's insistence on making this a "real" date. When he opens the door he finds Dean still wearing his outfit from school, though it's obvious he's freshened up a bit, and his once loose tie has sadly been put back into place, and he's topped it with a blazer, the same dove gray as his slacks. 

He has a single red rose in his hand and a smile that could lay waste to entire towns, and Cas is overcome with the sudden realization that he is deeply irrevocably in love with Dean Winchester.

It's scary and exhilarating and way too fucking soon.

Dean must see something shift in his expression, because suddenly his brows are furrowing in concern and he's reaching out to put a steadying hand on Cas' shoulder.

"Cas, babe, is everything ok?"

Cas just nods and ducks in to press a soft kiss to the side of Dean's mouth.

"Better now you're here."

Dean groans and rolls his eyes and Cas laughs feeling delighted in his new found realization, even if he does plan on keeping it to himself for awhile.

Dean looks him up and down before giving a low whistle. He'd told Cas to dress nice but not fancy so Cas had gone with his nicest blue jeans, a dark blue button down with some white thread trim and a red tie with little polka dots to be festive. He makes a quick detour to the kitchen to find a little vase for his rose and fills it with water, leaving the flower to sit in the kitchen window before snatching up his dark blue jacket from the hook by the door and his sunglasses from the little table against the wall, and he's ready to go. 

As they climb into the Impala, Dean can't seem to stop smiling, meaning he's feeling pretty proud of whatever he's cooked up for their date.

"So, are you going to tell me what we're up to?"

Dean just bites his lip and shakes his head, and Cas sighs in resignation. Let Dean have his fun, Cas thinks. After all, he enjoys watching his boyfriend's excitement over surprising him almost more than being surprised. So he figures it doesn't hurt to play along.

"First stop is food," Dean crows, as they pull away from the curb to the rumble of his baby's engine, and half an hour later, Cas is moaning around the best bacon cheeseburger he's ever eaten. Dean had surprised him by taking them to a local dive bar called the Roadhouse, and he's not too proud to admit he'd had his reservations. But the food was amazing, the burgers juicy and the bacon thick and crispy, the fries were a perfect golden brown and covered in garlic and flakes of parmesan cheese. They may need a half tin of mints by the time they're finished, but Cas doesn't care.

"Hhm, Dean these are amazing."

Dean's sitting across from him with his own cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk as he takes another huge bite of his burger. But his eyes are full of warmth and he's nodding along in agreement. Finally, he manages to swallow and give Cas a blinding smile.

"I thought about taking you to the next town over. They have a couple of highbrow restaurants, but I remembered you talking about being excited for grilling out this summer and figured you might like a break from all those, admittedly delicious, well balanced meals you make. Sometimes, you just need some good ol' fashion junk food." And with those words of wisdom, he takes another huge bite of his burger.

They don't waste a lot of time talking, preferring instead to concentrate on getting as much food into their bellies as possible. They wash the whole thing down with big thick chocolate shakes, and Cas has a brief thought that he may need to be rolled out of the bar.

After they let their food settle, Cas manages to wrestle the check away from Dean. He doesn't mind letting Dean pay sometimes, but he also knows his boyfriend has paid for whatever else he's got up his sleeve for the evening, so Cas wants to cover dinner. They decide to go for a walk around town. It's still early and the sun hasn't quite set, so even though there's a chill in the air, the evening is beautiful and Cas feels full of butterflies as they stroll hand in hand down the sidewalk.

"So what do you say Cas, are you ready for your next surprise?"

Cas squeezes Dean's hand. They could go home right now and do nothing but cuddle in front of the tv, and it will still have been one of the best dates Cas has ever been on.

"Ready as I'll ever be," he says while letting his head rest along Dean's shoulder. Dean drops a kiss to the top of his head before he starts to steer them back toward the car.

"Ok well, I know we've got a curfew and I figured we watch movies together most nights, so why not try something different? There's a concert at the theater downtown. It's a Beatles vs Stones anthology, and they had an early bird special. It should get out in plenty of time to let Anna off the hook. What do you think?"

Cas looks at his boyfriend's nervous face taking in the way he worries his lip and draws his brows together. He's obviously excited but unsure if his choice was the right one, and Cas is again flooded with a feeling of intense love for this man.

"It sounds perfect, Dean. I can't remember the last time I've been to a concert."

Dean is smiling proudly, and Cas doesn't care who sees them; he _needs_ to kiss his boyfriend _right now._ Reaching out, Cas gets a hold of Dean's tie and uses it to reel him. At the first press of warm soft lips against his own, Cas is lost. He loses track of how long they stand there sharing sweet kisses and shy smiles, but it doesn't feel like nearly long enough when Dean pulls away to tell him they need to hustle if they want to get to the concert on time.

They get to the theater with time to spare, and Cas is surprised to see the seating is more like a movie theater than a concert hall. The upside of the odd seating is getting to snuggle in close with Dean after putting up the armrest between them. The music is lively, and Dean spends most of the concert singing along in Cas' ear, making him laugh and join in when he recognizes a song. It's fun and different, and by the time they leave, Cas' cheeks hurt from smiling so much. They walk back to the car with Dean still crooning every Stones song that wasn’t featured in the show, and as Cas slides into the passenger seat of Dean's car, his heart feels fit to burst.

Before Dean can start the car, Cas slides across the seat to cup his boyfriend's face and steal another kiss. Pulling away, he rests his forehead against Dean's and hums happily.

"Stay with me tonight, Dean." 

Cas opens his eyes to see surprise splash across Dean's face. 

"Are you sure, Cas?"

Cas trails the tips of his fingers down the side of Dean's face, smiling softly at his boyfriend.

"Yes Dean, I'm more than sure. There's nothing I'd like more than to spend tonight in your arms and to wake up with you in my bed."

Dean gives him a heart stopping smile as he pulls away to start the car.

"Ok Cas, let's swing by my place. I'll check on Half-Face and pack a bag, then we can go home and let Anna loose for her singles mingle."

Cas doesn't mention Dean's slip up with referring to his house as home, but it does send a little thrill down his spine. He settles into his seat and smiles to himself thinking of just what they'll be able to get up to with the whole night ahead of them. 

  
  


♡♡♡

  
  
  


The house is quiet when they arrive, the kids already in bed sleeping, Cas finds Anna sitting on the couch in the family room scrolling through her phone. She gives him a knowing smile when she looks up and sees Dean hovering behind him with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

He narrows his eyes at his sister, daring her to say anything, but she just gives him a smirk and mimes zipping her lips. Cas breathes a sigh of relief. With how nervous he already feels about tonight, he's not sure he could take any of his sister's teasing.

"How were the kids?"

Anna laughs softly and stands up to gather her purse and jacket.

"They were great. Jamie and Teddy managed to get 3,000 tickets for Bea so don't be surprised when she has a new doll tomorrow. It's ugly as sin, but she loves it."

Dean snorts a laugh behind him, and he has to shake his head. That certainly sounds like his little Honey Bea. He thanks Anna, gives her a hug, and tells her to have fun at her mixer. Once she's gone, he goes to check on the children and to kiss them each on their foreheads. Dean follows him from room to room, smiling down at the kids and running his fingers through their hair once with a whispered goodnight.

After they've said their last goodnights, Cas finally leads Dean to his room, firmly locking his door behind them. He lets his eyes trail down Dean's body as he watches his boyfriend drop his bag on the foot of the bed before rifling through it for some sleep clothes. Cas takes in every inch of skin eagerly as Dean strips down to his boxers. Before he can cover himself back up, Cas steps forward to wrap his arms around Dean's slim hips and bring him back against his chest so he can nibble on his ear.

Dean groans and tilts his head to give Cas better access as he starts to leave wet sucking kisses along his neck and shoulder.

"Hmm that's nice, Cas," Dean turns in his arms, "but I think you're a little overdressed."

Dean slips off his tie, then starts to work on the buttons of his shirt while Cas lets his fingers trace the contours of Dean's biceps and clavicle. By the time his shirt is slipping from his shoulders, Cas is already hard in his jeans, and he knows exactly where he wants this night to go.

Dean drops to his knees to help Cas out of his pants, nuzzling at the bulge straining in his boxer briefs, his hot damp breath making Cas shiver. Blindly, he reaches for Dean and hauls him back to his feet to claim his mouth in a searing kiss.

When they break apart panting against each other's lips, Cas looks into Dean's darkening eyes and swallows down his nerves. He knows what he wants. He just has to ask.

"Dean?"

Dean smiles fondly and starts to rock them slowly in place as if they're dancing. 

"Yeah Cas?"

"Make love to me?"

Dean sucks in a sharp breath, and he looks at Cas with soft eyes. Cas just smiles at his boyfriend and runs his hands through his hair.

"Yeah ok sweetheart, I can do that." Dean's voice is thick and rough, and it sends a spark of heat straight to Cas' dick. He shuffles backwards, leading Dean with his lips until he can feel the bed bumping the backs of his knees. Cas lets gravity do the rest as they fall together in a tangle of limbs. Scooting himself up the bed to lay back against the pillows, he beckons Dean forward into the vee of his spread legs, moaning as Dean's weight settles on top of him. 

It's almost overwhelming how much Dean makes Cas feel. The love swirling in his heart and the sharp ping of arousal in his gut are mixing together in a haze of desire that burns through him. He's never wanted someone inside him so much.

"The nightstand, Dean, we need…" Cas is having a hard time getting words out as Dean works his way down his body until he can get his hands on Cas' underwear. He lifts his hips to help Dean get them off and watches with blazing eyes as the other man removes his own boxers.

Cas can't keep from reaching down to stroke his own neglected cock at the sight of Dean naked and hard. Judging by the smirk his boyfriend sends him, Dean knows exactly what he's doing to the dark haired man, too. Cas may have been a bit nervous, but he's no wilting flower. Spreading his legs a bit wider, he trails his free hand slowly down his body, Dean's eyes glued to its path as he reaches his balls and rolls them gently in his grasp. 

"See something you like?"

Dean lets out a little needy sound as he grabs his own cock and squeezes at the base. He quickly walks over to the night stand, digging around in the drawer until he holds up a brand new bottle of lube with a quiet fist bump. Cas laughs at Dean's antics, but it quickly morphs into a moan as Dean crawls over the bed to settle on top of him again.

Fumbling the lube open, Dean first drizzles a little over Cas' cock where he's still lightly stroking himself. He gasps as the cool liquid hits his overheated skin. The added slick makes a delicious slide against the rough calluses of his hands. 

Cas watches with hooded eyes as Dean then pours a liberal amount onto his own fingers, rubbing them together to warm the lube a bit before reaching for Cas' entrance and surging forward to claim his mouth. Dean swallows his cries as he breaches Cas for the first time with two thick fingers.

It's too much and not enough all at once. Dean goes slow, taking his time opening Cas up until he can take another finger. Cas' whole body jolts with pleasure when Dean changes the angle of his wrists and brushes lightly against his prostate.

"There, fuck Dean right there." His head drops back as he pants through the shocks of pleasure as Dean starts hitting that perfect spot with every thrust of his slick fingers.

"Yeah Cas, fuck, let me hear you sweetheart."

Cas lets out breathy little sounds as he pushes back on Dean's fingers, chasing the feeling of something _more_ he's after. He can hear himself begging but can't stop. He needs Dean inside of him right now.

Dean quiets him with a kiss as his fingers slip out of him. Cas clenches on air feeling achingly empty until the pressure of Dean's blunt cockhead presses against his entrance.

"Condom?" Dean pants out.

Cas shakes his head. They'd both been given clean bills of health, and he appreciates Dean checking in with him, but right now all he wants is to feel the heat of Dean filling him up without a single barrier between them.

Dean lets out a low moan and presses forward. It takes a moment to work in past that first tight ring of muscle, but then Dean is sinking into him in a slow slick slide. As soon as Dean's hips meet his ass, Cas wraps his legs around his boyfriend's waist to hold him in place. 

Dean drops soft kisses along his cheeks, his eyelids, his mouth, and Cas throws his arms around his neck and holds on tight. He's shaking with the intensity of the moment, of giving himself to Dean like this, knowing the other man already has what's left of Cas' heart, and Cas has to bite his lip hard to keep from saying the three little words on the tip of his tongue.

"You ok, sweetheart?"

Dean is brushing fingers up and down his side, causing goosebumps to break out along his flushed skin.

"I'm good." He sounds like he's been gargling gravel the way his voice has turned rough with emotion. "Move Dean, I want to feel you moving in me."

Dean moans and drops his head onto Cas' shoulder, but he pulls out slow, Cas' body clinging to him as he drags his cock out until just the tip rests inside of him. Dean lifts his head back up and locks eyes with Cas as he pushes back in just as slowly.

It's the best kind of torture. Despite being well prepped, Cas' body aches pleasantly with the stretch of accommodating Dean's cock. He simultaneously never wants it to end and can't take the slow sensual pace his boyfriend has set for them. He grips Dean's shoulders and tries to thrust back hard but Dean just pins his hips to the mattress and keeps the same rhythm.

"Look at me, Cas."

He hadn't even realized he'd closed his eyes, but they snap open at the sound of Dean's soft voice.

"Keep your eyes on me, sweetheart. I want to watch you when you come on my cock."

He nods his head frantically and speeds up his hand where it's still working his own cock. A fat drop of precome beads at the tip, which he swipes with his thumb to add to the mess of slick easing the slide of his fist.

"Dean, Dean, please fuck wanna feel you. Want you to come inside me."

Those seem to be the magic words because finally, _finally_ , Dean speeds up his thrusts, snapping his hips hard enough to rock Cas' body up the bed, driving little "uh uh uh" sounds from him as Dean's hips slam into him.

The world narrows down to the green eyes boring into him and the slick slide of Dean's cock splitting him open. He can feel his orgasm building, his whole body tense and waiting to snap. When Dean wraps one strong arm around his waist, lifting his hips and forcing his back to arch, allowing Dean to sink that much deeper inside him, Cas is done for. He cries out softly as he locks down hard on Dean's cock and comes all over his stomach, the curve of his spine sending a few stray drops as far as his chin.

Dean makes a broken sound as he fucks Cas through his release. Once Cas is spent, he reaches up with his clean hand to cup Dean's cheek, drawing his thumb under one eye softly.

"Come for me, Dean. Let me feel you." 

Dean turns his face into Cas’ touch, pressing a soft kiss to the center of his palm.

"Cas," is all Dean gets out before he drives in deep enough for Cas to feel his heavy balls resting against the cleft of his ass, and Dean lets go. Wet heat floods Cas' insides, and he draws his boyfriend down to kiss Dean through the shudders that rack his body as he fills Cas up.

Dean goes boneless against him, but Cas can take the weight and even enjoys the grounding feeling of having all of Dean pinning him down.

They lay together for long minutes, just breathing each other in and running fingertips along sweaty skin, come cooling between them and seeping from Cas once Dean gingerly pulls out. 

After what feels like hours but is closer to minutes, Dean rolls to Cas' side.

"Cas that was, _Jesus_ , that was…" Dean trails off as he stares into Cas' eyes and he can't help but agree. Dean nuzzles into his side and squirms until Cas wraps an arm around his shoulders, and he can't help but chuckle as he drops kisses to the top of Dean's sweaty head.

"Don't get too comfortable, Dean. We're going to need to shower and get dressed before we can fall asleep. Trust me, morning comes very early with kids in the house."

Dean groans, and Cas can feel him pouting against his skin, making him smile. 

"Come on, up you get. The sooner we clean up, the sooner we can sleep."

Dean grumbles all the way to the bathroom until they're both wrapped together under the warm spray "washing" each other while sharing soft kisses.

Once they're out and dressed, Cas unlocks his bedroom door as Dean strips the soiled comforter from the top of the bed. They crawl under the sheet, Dean happily going into Cas' outstretched arms, and within moments, their eyes slip shut in sleep.

  
  


♡♡♡  
  


The next morning Cas wakes slowly, indulging in a languid stretch, until he gets a look at the clock on his nightstand and sees it's after 10:00. He feels a bit panicky when he realizes he's slept in. He has to use an alarm on the weekends because his internal clock is set to his work schedule, but when he's home with the kids he tries to just push through the sleep deprivation and nap in the afternoons, if possible.

He forgot all about an alarm last night, too distracted by Dean. _Oh shit, Dean!_ Cas was in bed alone, so either Dean snuck out before everyone was awake, or he's out there dealing with Cas' kids without a lifeline. Visions of Dean awkwardly trying to dodge the kids' questions about why he was there and what he was doing has Cas scrambling out of bed. He takes a quick moment to empty his bladder and grab his glasses, thankfully he had remembered to take out his contacts after their shower, before leaving his room in a rush.

He comes to a skidding halt in the kitchen, where he finds Dean standing in front of the stove whistling the _Scooby-Doo_ theme song and cooking what smells a lot like bacon while the kids sit at the kitchen island, giggling.

The whole scene stops Cas in his tracks. It's like he's looking at a glimpse of their future: Dean here in their home, helping with the kids, waking up every day knowing that he'd be there, like they were a real family. Cas feels tears prick his eyes, and he steps back through the doorway into the dining room to take a moment to compose himself. He takes a few deep breaths and wipes his eyes. Once he feels like he's not going to make a fool of himself, he walks back into the kitchen with a smile he feels down to his soul.

"Do I smell bacon?"

Cas is greeted with a chorus of happy cries from his kids while Dean looks up from the stove. Cas' breath gets lodged in his throat, the golden morning sunlight surrounds Dean making him look like he's positively glowing, and it's easy to read the happiness in his eyes when he smiles at Cas.

"Mornin' Sunshine. We were just gettin' ready to wake you up."

Cas is moving forward before he's aware of thinking about it and pulls Dean in for a soft kiss. Dean melts against him, wrapping his arms around Cas shoulders, spatula still in one hand, to give him a gentle squeeze before pulling away.

"Have a seat sweetheart, food’s almost done," Dean tells him with a little swat to his butt. 

More giggles erupt from the peanut gallery, and Dean's face floods with color when he realizes he just spanked Cas in front of the kids. Cas just chuckles and boops the tip of Dean’s nose before moving to sit at the island next to his daughter.

"Daddy, are you surprised? Mr. Dean said we should let ya sleep and you'd be so surprised an' happy if we made breakfast!"

Bea is clearly very excited about the whole concept, but even the boys are looking at him eagerly, waiting to see how he responds. He leans forward to kiss his daughter's forehead.

"Yes, I can definitely say I'm surprised and very happy. How long have you guys been up?"

Dean laughs nervously as he plates the food. "Well, Honey Bea here came looking for you about 6:30, said she needed some water. I asked if I could help her since you were pretty well conked out. After she had her water though, she was wide awake, so we sat and watched cartoons until the boys came stumbling out of bed about 9:00. We thought it might be nice to let you sleep and have breakfast ready for you when you got up."

Dean is shooting him nervous looks, most likely worried he's overstepped with the kids. Cas thinks it's adorable, and he's flooded with a quiet gratitude for this man he gets to call his.

"That was very thoughtful of you all. It's certainly something I could get used to." He sends Dean a little wink to let him know everything is fine and knows he said the right thing when Dean sags a bit with relief.

"Ok troops, grab a plate and let's move this party to the table."

The kids hop up to grab plates piled high with fluffy eggs, crispy bacon and sliced fruit. Cas' stomach rumbles and his mouth waters at the sight. The table is already set up with glasses of orange juice and just about every condiment a person could need. It was just missing a few things, so Cas grabs some napkins and the silverware along with his own plate and they get settled in the breakfast nook. 

"This looks wonderful, Dean. Kids, did you thank Dean for making breakfast?"

The kids are quick to say their thanks, although it comes out more like "Tank ew Ean!" with their little mouths already stuffed with food.

Dean laughs around his own bite of eggs as he looks at the happy little chipmunk cheeked faces staring back at him.

"It was my pleasure." He turns to Cas and gives him a little wink. "I'd be happy to come over and make breakfast anytime your daddy wants me to."

Cas' cheeks flood with heat as images of last night dance across his mind. He definitely wouldn't mind Dean spending the night again. Only next time he thinks he'd like to give him a taste of his own medicine and fuck Dean till _he's_ the one begging to-

"Daddy, please can Mr. Dean come again?" 

Cas nearly chokes at his daughter's innocent question, and Dean laughs so hard, Cas thinks he's going to rupture something. With red cheeks, he stares down at his plate trying to get his brain back on track.

"What's so funny? Tell us!"

"Nothing, Honey Bea, it's a big people joke." Dean is still laughing but Cas finally has himself under control enough to look at his disgruntled daughter.

The boys are smiling while they eat, the joke going over their heads as well, but Dean's laughter is contagious and pretty soon Cas is chuckling too.

"Of course Mr. Dean can come and visit again, but maybe next time we can cook him breakfast. How does that sound?"

That seems to finally smooth down Bea's ruffled feathers, and she goes back to eating. The rest of breakfast is spent listening to the kids excitedly talk about the arcade and how Teddy and Jamie had tag teamed a game that involved knocking down clowns to get the jackpot twice. This leads Bea to run and fetch her new doll from her room. Anna was right, it's the ugliest thing Cas has yet to lay eyes on, but Bea keeps it cradled against her shoulder like a real baby the whole time she eats, and he doesn't have the heart to get rid of it. He's pretty sure he sees Dean shudder after she shows it to him, and Cas has to push down the urge to laugh at him.

The whole morning is perfect, and Cas can't help but think about how well Dean fits here with them, with _Cas._ As much as these feelings and the vastness of them scare him, Cas knows now that he's more than ready to open his heart. 

He just hopes Dean feels the same way.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are we feeling? Did y'all enjoy getting a little more of Cas' pov?
> 
> Only 2 chapters left of the main story then the epilogue! I'm starting to get a little sad that it's ending honestly.
> 
> Thank you all for reading and see ya next week!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday y'all!
> 
> Big thank you to @Beatrix_Kiddo as always for betaing and thank you so much to everyone that's been reading along. It means the world to me.
> 
> ⚠️ Small content warning. There is talk of vomit in this chapter. Nothing overly graphic and no one is seriously sick but if you're really sensitive it that kind of stuff it is there. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

* * *

Dean surveys his classroom. His usual eighteen kids are down to a meager thirteen due to a prolific stomach virus sweeping through the school. Students and teachers alike were being taken out left and right. Luckily, Dean had been blessed with the impeccable Winchester immune system. He _never_ gets sick, and it's a good thing, too, because they've already got four teachers out on sick leave. 

Unfortunately, much to Dean's dismay, among those affected are the Novak children. The last few days, all three kids have been home sick, and Cas has been running himself ragged, refusing to let Dean help because of some chivalrous desire to keep him from catching their sickness.

Dean feels the absence of the kids keenly, and what's more, he misses getting the chance to see his boyfriend every morning at drop off. They've been together nearly six months now, and weekend overnights have definitely become a regular thing, but with how different their schedules are, Dean spends most days at his own house. Outside of texting or talking on the phone, Cas dropping off the kids is sometimes their only chance to see each other for days at a time.

The day drags on while the remaining kids all take turns claiming to be sick in an effort to go home early. Little sharks, all of them. By the time lunch rolls around, Dean is more than ready for a break. He flops into the first empty chair in the Teachers’ Lounge and is just about to take a bite of the sandwich he brought when his phone vibrates in his pocket. 

Pulling it out, he sees it's a text from Cas. A wide smile splits his face just at the thought of his boyfriend, and he really hopes things are going better for the little family he cares so much about.

"Whoa, who's the lucky lady slash fella that's got you smiling like that? Dare I say it's love?" Charlie bounces over to the empty seat across from him and flutters her eyelashes a few times.

Dean honestly doesn't know where she gets the energy.

He looks back down at his phone with pink cheeks. Charlie has become a true friend over the school year, and if he could trust anyone, it would be her.

"It's, um, my boyfriend. He's got kids enrolled here, but they're all sick and he's been home taking care of them. I'm hoping he's texting to say everyone's feeling better."

Charlie's eyes go big and soft, and she's looking at him like he's a giant teddy bear or a particularly sad fluffy puppy.

"What?"

Charlie sighs.

"Nothing, it's just so adorable listening to you being all worried and sweet about your bf's kids. So, do I know him?"

Dean hesitates for a moment, but he knows Charlie is good people, and honestly he's been dying to talk about this with someone outside of Sam. His brother had laughed his ass off when he found out the nurse Dean made a fool of himself in front of was now his boyfriend. Dean had made sure to comment on the way Sam's been tripping over himself to get that colleague of his, Eileen's, attention. 

"Um yeah, you might know him. Novak. Castiel Novak. His twins are in my class, and his daughter is in kindergarten with Ms. Moseley."

"Shut up! Novak?! Wow, Dean you sure know how to pick 'em. I mean, I'm 100% for the ladies, but that dude is dreamy."

Dean raises an eyebrow at the soft wistful way Charlie says that, but she just shrugs and starts munching on the pb&j she brings everyday.

Dean chuckles and finally takes a bite out of his own ham and swiss sandwich. They chew in companionable silence for a bit before Charlie starts talking around the bite she's currently working on.

"So, are you two serious, because from the look on your face earlier, you're a goner."

Dean snorts but can't help the soft smile that steals across his face just at the thought of Cas.

"Yeah, we're pretty serious." That's an understatement if Dean's ever heard one. He's stupidly, completely, arrow-in-the-heart, head-over-heels in love with Cas and his kids. But Dean's not ready to tell his friend that. Not when he hasn't even used the L-word with Cas yet. Dean's practically ready to look at china patterns, but he's not stupid and he _knows_ it's way too early to be making love confessions, and the last thing he wants is to scare Cas away with his clingyness. So Dean keeps his feelings to himself and hopes he'll know the right time to share when it comes.

Thinking of his boyfriend reminds Dean he hasn't opened his new message yet. Swiping the screen and clicking on Cas' text, Dean's excited to see that it’s a picture...until it loads.

  
  
  
  


Cas' face fills the screen with the words "so tired zzz" underneath, and Dean's heart sinks. Cas is laying back on his bed and he looks absolutely exhausted and feverish. Why does the stubborn bastard have to insist on not needing help when he so clearly does??

Dean frowns as he shoots off a quick reply. He has to do something to help. Maybe he can bring some soup or something over after work. If he just shows up with the food, then Cas can't tell him not to bother. With his mind made up, Dean spends the rest of his lunch hour chatting with Charlie and going over a mental checklist of what he'll need from the store to make chicken soup.

Hopefully, once he's there, he can convince Cas to let him stay and help out.

  
  


**♡♡♡**

  
  


Dean rings the doorbell twice to no answer before he lets himself into the house. The place is...a fucking mess. At least compared to Castiel's usual standards. Walking into the kitchen to set the pot of soup he brought on the stove, he takes in the mess. The sink is full of dishes, there are pots with food stuck on them stacked on the counters, and empty tea mugs everywhere.

As he moves through the house, he sees what looks like a mountain of laundry spilling from the laundry room, and when he finally reaches the family room he finds an explosion of blankets, empty cups, stuffed animals, and DVDs scattered on the floor. And right smack in the middle of it all are the three Novak children, barely visible under their blankets as they stare glassy eyed at cartoons playing on the tv.

"Hey kiddos, where's your dad?"

Jamie pops his head out of his blanket pile to look at Dean. His cheeks are rosy with fever, and his little voice sounds terrible when he speaks.

"What are you doin' here?"

Dean scoffs in mock offense.

"Gee, it's good to see you too, buddy."

Jamie looks contrite for about half a second before shrugging and carrying on.

"Dad's in his room. He told us to watch tv while he took a break. He threw up a bunch of times after lunch. It was _gross_."

Damn it, Dean knew he should have come sooner. Not only was Cas taking care of _three_ sick kids, he was also working through a messed up sleep schedule, and now, on top of everything else, his poor boyfriend was sick, too.

Jamie's already gone back to watching cartoons, the other kids too sucked in to even acknowledge Dean's presence. So he quietly backs out of the room in search of Cas. 

He finds him passed out on top of his made bed snoring softly. Cas must have just planned on lying down for a moment, because he's got a full cup of now cold tea on the nightstand, and he's wearing his glasses which have gone crooked from the way his face is pressed into his pillow. There's a book lying open and a large, thankfully empty, bowl next to him on the bed. 

Thinking of how exhausted Cas had seemed in his text earlier, Dean decides not to wake him. Instead, he carefully removes his glasses, places them with the book on the nightstand, and drapes a blanket over the sleeping man. He leaves the bowl just in case Cas needs it and then creeps out the door and gets to work. He starts by checking the kids’ rooms. Not bad, but there is a definite _smell_ that just won't do. Dean opens the windows a crack to let in a bit of spring air before stripping the sheets and remaking the beds and starting a load of laundry. Then, he tackles the kitchen.

  
  


It takes just over an hour, but he's got the countertops sparkling, the dishwasher running and the soup simmering nicely, so he heads back to the family room.

He claps his hands together to get everyone's attention and puts as much enthusiasm into his voice as he can.

"Alright troops, it's not good to sit around in your germs, so here's what we're gonna do. Everyone is going to take a fast hot shower and then get into your warmest, softest pjs, and then we're going to have some soup and we're going to do it with our quietest voices so your Dad can rest. Capisce?"

The kids stare at him blankly.

"What's a ca-peesh?" Bea asks in a scratchy voice.

Dean just shakes his head fondly.

"Nevermind, come on kiddo, you’re first. Go and get your pjs, and I'll get the water going for you. You can do the rest on your own, right?"

Bea nods her head and slides off the couch reluctantly. Dean gets the shower going in the kids’ bathroom, which could also use a once over, but he'll get to that later. Once he's got Bea set up, he switches the laundry and checks on the soup. As the kids take turns getting cleaned up, Dean takes care of the family room. 

In no time at all, three squeaky clean kids are sitting around the table a little more awake after their showers and happily slurping down soup and munching on a few saltines Dean found in the cupboard. He pours them each a glass of juice and starts the kettle before heading back to wake up Cas. 

He finds his boyfriend just as he left him, passed out and snoring. Dean's heart skips a beat as he takes in the sight of Cas tucked in with his comfy blanket with a small line of drool in the corner of his mouth. He's never felt more in love than in this moment. 

He's not sure if Cas will be pissed at him for just showing up and taking over, but Dean still feels better knowing he helped. Settling next to Cas on the bed, he gently strokes the sweaty hair from the sleeping man's forehead. 

"Cas, sweetheart, it's time to wake up."

Cas groans pitifully and turns into Dean's side nuzzling against his chest for a moment before popping his head up and squinting at the smiling green eyed man.

"Dean?" Cas looks so adorably rumpled that Dean can't stop himself from dropping a chaste kiss on his dry lips.

"Who else did you expect?"

Cas rolls his eyes and Dean smiles wider.

"I didn't _expect_ anyone. What are you doing here? You're going to get sick."

"No I'm not."

Cas glares at him until Dean sighs, looking into Cas' red glassy eyes. Despite his long nap, the guy still looks exhausted and Dean has to fight back the urge to wrap him in a pile of fluffy blankets and spoon feed him soup. The guy's a full grown man, not a baby, but that doesn't stop Dean from wanting to take care of him.

"When I got your text and saw how tired you were I just couldn't stay away any longer. It was killing me Cas. I know you don't want to get me sick and I know you've been taking care of things on your own for a while now but just because you _can_ do it alone doesn't mean you _have_ to. I wanted to come and help my boyfriend and his amazing kids. Because...well because you, all of you, are important to me."

Watery blue eyes gaze up at him in wonder, but when the tears start to spill over and Cas' lip trembles, Dean's heart aches.

"Don't cry, sweetheart," Dean peppers little kisses along Cas' forehead, his temple, the corner of his mouth. Cas' hands grip tight to his shirt as he buries his face against Dean's chest, a small sob escaping his lips.

"I'm so happy you're here, Dean. So so happy. I was _so_ tired and then I started getting sick and all I wanted was to call you and ask you to come over, but I couldn't. Sometimes I get scared and I think we're going to be too much for you. Like when Bea has a tantrum or we try to go out and all the kids do is fight or when I'm too tired from work to give you my full attention. I just...I want you here all time, but I don't want to overwhelm you."

Dean shushes Cas, gently hugging the other man tight against him as Cas gets control of his emotions.

"Cas, you don't have to worry about that. There's nothin' you could do to scare me away. Tantrums, squabbles, and flus, I'm here for it all as long as you'll have me."

Cas clings to him tighter, and Dean can feel the moment stretching; if ever there was a great time to confess to his boyfriend that he's in love with him, this is it. But Dean chickens out and the moment passes when the shriek of the kettle boiling pierces the air, followed by Honey Bea yelling to make it stop.

Dean huffs a laugh and stands up, bringing Cas with him to lead him out to the kitchen. Blue eyes go wide as he takes in the clean children sitting in his clean kitchen eating soup he didn't make.

"Please don't be mad, but I _really_ wanted to help."

Cas just shakes his head. "Everything is perfect, Dean. Thank you. I don't deserve you, but thank you."

Getting the kettle from the stove to make a cup of tea for Cas, Dean's brow furrows.

"That's crap, Cas. Of course you deserve me. If anything, you deserve _better_ than me."

Cas shakes his head with a little smile. "Impossible. There is no one better for me than you."

Dean's cheeks flush pink as he walks over a bowl of soup and the mug of tea, setting them in front of his boyfriend. He's not really sure how to respond to that, so he just ducks his head and moves back to the stove to spoon out his own bowl of soup.

By the time the adults have finished eating, the kids are sagging in their seats, so Dean shuffles them past their dad to get a kiss on their heads and then marches them off to bed. He carefully tucks them under their covers and says a quiet goodnight. They fall asleep easily, and Dean gives a sigh of relief. 

He finds Cas on the couch in the family room snuggled under a soft blanket and cradling his tea in both hands with his eyes closed.

"How are you feeling?"

Cas hmms and squints his eyes open so just a sliver of blue is visible. He's left his glasses back in the room so he's probably having trouble focusing on Dean's face. Cas lifts the side of his blanket and beckons Dean to sit.

Dean happily folds himself against Cas and drapes his arm around the other man to tuck him up nice and tight to his side.

"I'm glad you're here, Dean. I missed you," Cas says quietly and Dean hugs him tighter.

"I missed you too, sweetheart."

They stay snuggled together on the couch until Cas starts to drift to sleep. Dean carefully pulls the tea from lax hands and sets it on the coffee table.

"Come on Cas, let’s go to bed." 

  
  


**♡♡♡**

  
  


Two days later, Dean wakes up cocooned in the warmth of Cas' arms and has exactly fifteen seconds to enjoy it before his stomach rolls and he immediately knows he's about to vomit. Throwing back the covers and making a mad dash for the bathroom, Dean knows with 100% certainty that he's not going to make it to the toilet but as he skids into the bathroom and finds himself bending over and hurling out every bit of last night’s dinner, he has a fleeting thought that at least he didn't ralph on the carpet.

He ends up on his knees leaning against the vanity and staring horrified at the mess he's spewed all over Cas' clean floor. He's still in the process of working up the energy to stand and clean up when a cool hand cups his flushed face and his chin is tipped up. A cold damp cloth brushes along his mouth and Cas' concerned face comes swimming into view.

"Oh Dean, you're burning up."

Dean just shakes his head.

"No way Cas. Winchesters never get sick."

Cas scoffs at him as he continues to wipe his face gently with the cool washcloth.

"Yeah, well Novaks do, so let’s get you cleaned up and back into bed."

Dean wonders if it's his fever-addled mind that is telling him Cas just called him a Novak, but judging by the blush on his boyfriend's cheeks, Dean doesn't think he imagined it.

He starts to protest when Cas tries to lead him back to bed though. No way was he leaving that gross mess on the floor for Cas to clean up. He was here to take care of his boyfriend, not make more work for him.

"No, Dean," Cas tells him gently. "Right now, the only thing you're going to do is get back in bed and rest. I let you take care of us when we were sick, and now it's your turn to let me take care of you."

Dean has every intention of putting his foot down, but just then a wave of dizziness washes over him and the only thing keeping Dean from crumpling to the ground is Cas' firm grip on his arms.

"Yeah, ok Cas, I guess I might be a _little_ sick."

Cas shakes his head fondly but helps Dean the rest of the way to the bed. Dean feels like he's on fire, but as soon as he hits the sheets the chills set in, so he doesn't protest when the blanket gets pulled up and tucked around him. Time kind of blurs for him. He's vaguely aware of Cas helping him get a couple of pills down his throat and a glass being pressed to his lips as he's told to drink. He drifts as cool fingers run through the sweaty hair along his forehead.

Dean starts babbling as Cas' fingers lull him into a sort of feverish trance.

"I don't wanna be more work fur ya Cas," he slurs. "Want to take care of you guys, be yur rock man. I jus' wanna take care of you and yur babies. Wish I had babies." Dean says sadly before he gets an amazing idea and looks up at Cas with pleading eyes as he grabs a fist full of his shirt. "Will you...Cas maybe will you share your babies with me?"

Cas is giving him a funny look but he smiles softly and nods his head.

"Yes Dean, I'll share my babies with you. But I think you may need to sleep. I think your fever mixed with the medication I gave you is making you a bit loopy."

Dean kisses whatever part of Cas is in front of his face, an arm maybe? His chest? 

"Thank you. Thank you Cas, cause I really love em. I love them so much and I love you. I love you, Cas." Dean is aware, someplace way in the back of his mind, that he's just admitted something really big, but he can't focus on it.

Cas sucks in a sharp breath and goes still under him, and Dean panics while his brain tries to work through the fog of fever.

"Don't be mad, Cas. Please, please don't be mad."

Cas' fingers go back to their soft petting and Dean's panic eases until he's melting back into his boyfriend with a quiet sigh. He's starting to doze again when Cas whispers above him.

"I'm not mad, Dean. Honestly I'm worried you aren't going to remember telling me that or that you'll regret it when the meds wear off."

Dean scoffs and pushes himself up so he's hovering over Cas. His stomach gives a roll but he's able to keep from upchucking all over his boyfriend's fucking beautiful face. 

"Never, Cas," he says fiercely. "I would never regret tellin' you I love you. You and those kids mean everything to me."

Cas' eyes are shiny as he looks up into Dean's own glassy stare.

"You'll see, Cas. I'll remember everything and tell you as many times as you need to hear it."

With that, Dean flops down on top of Cas and finally passes back out.

**♡♡♡**

  
  


The next time Dean wakes up, he's alone. Groaning, he manages to fight down the nausea rolling through his guts long enough to use the bathroom and shuffle miserably into the kitchen. The house appears to be empty, but there's a note on the Island.

  
  
  
  


**Dean,**

**dropping the kids off.** **I called the school early this morning to let them know you'll be out. Making a quick stop at the store and popping in to see Half-Face, then I'll be home.**

**♡Cas**

  
  


Dean reads the note, he does, three times, but he still doesn't know what it says because all he can focus on, all he can see, is the little heart next to Cas' name. Does that mean what Dean thinks it means? The only reason people sign their names with hearts is to substitute for the word love right? Is this Cas saying he loves Dean in a very subtle way?

Because Dean can remember every word he blabbed to Cas early this morning, but even more importantly, he can remember that Cas didn't say it back.

Before he can manage to get too worked up, he hears the sound of the front door opening and the soft grunts of someone struggling to get through the door. When he peeks into the foyer he sees Cas with grocery bags in one arm and what looks like a pet carrier held tightly in his other hand. 

"Need some help?" He quips.

Apparently Cas wasn't expecting him to be up because he startles hard and damn near drops everything. Dean is close enough to catch him with a steadying hand, but it sends a wave of dizziness through him.

"Dean, what are you doing up? You should be resting." Cas says firmly, like he didn't just make the most adorable squeak when Dean startled him. A sad meow interrupts them before Dean can respond, and he looks into the pet carrier Cas has to see Half-Face staring back at him.

The little kitten has grown a lot in the last 6 months, and Dean can't imagine not having his furry friend in his life anymore, but he doesn't understand why Cas brought her here. He looks at his boyfriend with questioning eyes. Dean's spent the night lots of times but he's never brought his cat with him.

Cas blushes but moves forward to set his bags down in the kitchen. Dean takes the carrier and carefully removes his little buddy for a cuddle. Half-Face immediately starts purring and rubbing her face along the rough stubble of his chin.

"I went to check on her and make sure she had enough food and water out but she seemed lonely, and with you sick, I thought she might be able to come stay while you're here."

Dean's chest swells with affection as he looks at his blushing boyfriend. Cas unloads groceries and tries not to make a big deal out of what a thoughtful gesture this was, but Dean feels fit to burst with how full of love he is for this man. With so many good feelings swirling around inside of him, there was really only one thing to do. Let it out.

"I love you, Cas."

Cas freezes with his hand halfway to putting a jar of peanut butter into a cupboard. He turns wide surprised eyes in Dean's direction, and Dean steels his resolve.

"I know you thought it was the fever or the meds talking, but it wasn't. I love you. Meeting you and your kids has been the best thing to ever happen to me, and I love you."

Cas drops the peanut butter with a loud thud and crosses the short space between them in three easy strides before he's crashing their lips together. Dean keeps his mouth firmly shut, the memory of puking this morning still heavy on his mind, but he does wrap one arm around Cas' shoulders to hold him tight. Cas' hands cup each side of Dean's face, and he pulls back just enough to kiss his cheeks, his forehead, eyelids, the tip of his nose. Half-Face lets out a little huff as she's squished between them, and Dean can't help the happy laugh that bubbles up and out of him.

"Dean, Dean I love you, too. So much, so so much."

They stand there wrapped in each others’ arms with a disgruntled cat between them as they bask in the feeling of finally admitting their feelings for each other. 

As Dean spends the next few days being fussed over by his boyfriend, who _loves_ him, he thinks he's never been so happy being sick in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Next week will be the last chapter of the main story but we will have an epilogue after that 🥰. Have a good week everyone.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday y'all! Here it is the last chapter 😭😭😭
> 
> I hope you all have enjoyed this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. All of your lovely comments and kudos have kept my little heart a flutter.
> 
> I want to give @Beatrix_Kiddo a very special shout out because she edited this chapter THIS morning so I could get it out to y'all.
> 
> ⚠️Heads up this chapter is NSFW

* * *

Dean wallows in the heat of the afternoon. It's closing in on the end of August and of course his A/C has chosen today to stop working. For the third day in a row, they've hit triple digit temps, which could be managed if there was even a hint of a breeze in the air. But instead, the heat was dry and the air stagnant. Cas and the kids were out with Anna at some kind of hippie art festival Anna was vending at. 

With the amount of time Dean has been spending at Cas' house over the summer months and with him on vacation along with the kids, it had felt natural to step into some of the responsibilities of watching the children. As a result, Anna has had less time with her niece and nephews. So when the opportunity arises, Dean tries to step back now and again to let Cas and his sister have their own time together. 

With that in mind, when the chance to get out of a festival full of Oregon hippies in this nasty heat came, Dean pounced on it with the excuse that he needed to do some maintenance on his own house. Though, from the look Cas gave him as he kissed Dean goodbye, his boyfriend wasn't fooled for a second. Dean had come to his own little house thinking he would be able to get his work done quickly and then get away with a few hours to laze about in the cool air as he sorted through the next school year’s curriculum. 

His first year of teaching had been full of surprises, Castiel being one of them, but overall a wonderful experience, and Dean didn't even have to think about it when he was offered the position for another two years. For now though, he was trying to focus on the coming year while sweat rolled down into his eyes.

It was almost weird being in his own house these days. Cas' house, so full of life and love, was becoming home more and more with each passing day. Hell... Half-Face lived there permanently already since Dean spent more time at Cas' and it was becoming ridiculous to shuffle the poor thing back and forth, only to stay at the old house for one or two nights.

Dean hasn't actually gotten anything done after realizing the A/C was broken, but after feeling a trickle of sweat roll from his neck down his spine and into his equally sweaty asscrack, he says fuck it. Locking up and checking the mail, Dean climbs into his Baby and heads back to Cas'. If he hurries, he can shower, catch an episode of  _ Dr. Sexy _ , and still have time to start dinner before his merry band of misfits makes it home.

He wasn't planning anything too elaborate, just an enchilada casserole because they all needed to be in bed early. Tomorrow, all five of them would be driving up to Portland for an extended weekend. It was their first trip together, and Dean was excited to introduce the kids to the joys of road trips. 

The car was already packed; they were taking Cas' SUV, much to Dean's dismay. But with Honey Bea's booster seat, the kids would have been too squished in the backseat of his Baby. All they had to do was get a good night’s rest and hit the road in the morning. Anna was nice enough to agree to check in on Half-Face so they could just enjoy their weekend.

They had picked Portland for several reasons, the biggest being that Sam would be in town for the week, and Dean hadn't seen his brother since his accident back in November. This was his chance to introduce the kids to Sam and maybe even convince him to babysit, strictly for bonding purposes of course, so he can take Cas out for a romantic evening in the city. It was an added bonus that OMSI was running a huge bug exhibit this month, and Bea was out of her mind excited to go to the zoo.

After a nice cold shower and slipping into some less sweaty clothes, Dean ends up skipping  _ Dr. Sexy _ in favor of cranking up the little radio on the kitchen counter while he shimmied his way around the kitchen working on dinner. He'd really gotten out of the habit of cooking when he was alone, but ever since that first dinner with the Novaks, Dean has been rediscovering his love of feeding people. 

When Kansas comes on the radio, Dean can't help but sing along. Half-Face is watching from her perch in the breakfast nook. After the little cat had started spending more time at the Novak house, Cas started buying things for her. Before long, she was right at home with enough cat toys, strategically placed perches, and kids to make any cat happy. Every time he makes eye contact with the little fuzzball, he sings a little louder and uses his spoon as a makeshift mic to serenade her. Half-Face doesn't appear too impressed which prompts Dean to get a little more creative, throwing his hips into each dance move like he was on  _ America's Got Talent _ and vying for the grand prize.

He's so distracted by his makeshift talent show that he doesn't notice he's not alone until loud giggling erupts behind him. Whipping around, Dean comes face-to-face with 3 giggling children, 1 boyfriend who looks like he's quickly losing the battle of keeping a straight face, and 1 Miss Anna Novak, who looks like she swallowed her tongue as she chokes back ugly laughter.

Dean's face explodes in a blush, but he shrugs it off trying not to let his embarrassment show.

"Hey, you guys are just in time to hear what the judges say. Half-Face was about to tell me if I'm going to the next round."

Cas is laughing as he steps forward to wrap his arms around Dean and attempts to kiss him hello. They're both smiling so big it's more like a weird press of teeth and lips, but Dean goes willingly when Cas suddenly sweeps his leg out from under him and dips him almost all the way to the ground.

"Well, it's a yes for me," Cas teases before diving in for a real kiss this time. Dean's still blushing when Cas stands him back up, but he takes a bow to the applause of the remaining Novaks.

"Alright, show’s over. Who wants to help me finish making dinner?"

A chorus of “Me!”s fills the room before the kids make a mad dash for the bathroom to wash their hands. Anna just shakes her head fondly as she watches them go.

"Anna, are you staying for dinner?"

"I would love that," she says coming over to stand next to Dean who's back at the stove shredding chicken. Cas walks by, running his fingers along Dean's back.

"I'm just going to jump in the shower real quick, and then I'll come make the salad."

Dean makes a face at that, but Cas just laughs as he walks away to the bedroom. Ever since Dean's started eating with Cas and his family, he's been getting a lot more greens in his diet. Although as far as Dean was concerned, eating more salad was more than worth it if it meant spending more time with Cas and his kids.

"You're good for him."

Dean's startled out of his thoughts by Anna's voice. He'd kind of forgotten she was next to him.

"What?"

She smiles softly and shrugs her shoulders.

"You're good for him, for them. I can't even remember the last time I've seen him this happy. Cas has been through a lot, and I'll admit I was skeptical when you two first got together, but now...I'm glad he has you."

Warmth blooms in Dean's chest and he ducks his head to hide the blush painting his cheeks yet again.

"I promise I'll take good care of him." 

"I know you will." She gives his arm a little squeeze before pulling away and going to find out what's taking the kids so long.

Dean watches her disappear around the corner and can't keep a smile off his face for the whole evening.

  
  
  


**♡♡♡**

  
  
  


"Dean.  _ Deeeaan. _ "

Dean counts to three in his head and takes a deep breath.

"Yes, Honey Bea?"

"Are we there yet? This is taking forever."

They're only an hour into their first road trip together, and Dean is already ready to lose his mind. It's only a four hour drive straight through and they plan to stop for lunch at the halfway mark just to give the kids a chance to stretch their legs, but it is abundantly clear that this was going to be a long day.

Dean's driving for now so Cas could sleep a few extra minutes, but Bea's voice stirs her father into the land of the living. Teddy is reading quietly in the back, and Jamie is passed out with his face against the window. 

"We've still got about an hour until lunch Honey Bea, but why don't we play a game to help the time go by?"

That seems to pique the girl’s interest, and she leans forward eagerly.

"What kinda game?"

"Well, since you did so well with your letters in school, why don't we play the alphabet game? We have to find all the letters of the alphabet, in order, but we can only find them on the road signs and only one letter per sign. Understand?"

"Yep!"

Dean's lips tick up into a smile at how confident she sounds.

"Ok, you go first and find us the letter A."

Bea goes quiet as she concentrates on the signs whizzing by them. Glancing over at Cas, Dean finds him smiling at him with sleepy eyes.

"What?"

Cas just smiles wider but he reaches out to pat Dean's knee a few times.

"Don't worry, I have their tablets for after lunch," Cas says with a wink, and Dean is too grateful to feel bad that Cas noticed his frustration.

"Found it! ‘A,’ Dean! Look there's an ‘A’ right there on the green sign!"

Sure enough, the sign ahead reads "Albany: Next 2 Exits." Dean gives a little cheer and starts looking for his own letter. Bea ropes Cas into the game as well, and they play until it's time to stop for lunch. They packed their own sandwiches and snacks, so Dean finds a nice rest stop with a picnic area to pull into. The kids wolf down their food to give themselves more time to run around the grassy area. The shade from the ponderosa pines and bigleaf maples keeps the heat from being overly oppressive.

Dean spends most of his time leaning back against Cas' chest where they're sitting on the picnic bench. Cas holds his sandwich in one hand and traces lazy shapes into the skin of Dean's arm with the other. It's peaceful and relaxing, even with the rumble of the 18-wheelers in the background as they come and go from the rest stop.

After about 45 minutes when the kids have run off their excess energy, Cas directs everyone to the bathroom one last time before they climb back into the car. Cas is driving this time, and Dean has a hard time looking away from the sight of his boyfriend relaxed behind the wheel with the sun backlighting him like some college student's art thesis. If Cas looks this good driving an ugly SUV, Dean can only imagine how good he'll look driving his Baby. He vows to himself to make that happen sooner rather than later.

The kids are quiet in the back seat, now that they have their electronics to keep them busy. The only noise is the odd sound effect from their games and the radio playing an easy listening station. It doesn't take long before Dean's eyes are slipping shut, and he's falling into a light doze.

  
  


**♡♡♡**

  
  


When Dean wakes up, they're pulling to a stop outside of their hotel, and he can already see Sam anxiously waiting by the lobby doors. Before Cas can even come to a complete stop, Dean's unbuckling and stepping out of the car.

"Hey, Sammy!"

Sam's face morphs into a huge grin as he heads towards Dean. They meet in the middle in a tight bear hug, and Sam nearly knocks the wind out of him when he pats his back in excitement.

"It's good to see you, Dean."

"Likewise man, it's been too long. So how was your conference?"

They pull apart and start heading towards the car where Cas is already unpacking.

"It was good. A lot of new speakers this year, but I'm ready to get out and have some fun. It's been hell being stuck inside when we actually have some nice weather."

_ That's right _ , Dean thinks.  _ Sam is one of those freaks that actually enjoys the heat _ .

"But hey, it's good to see you walking around. You don't even have a limp."

"Well, you know me. Too stubborn to let something as small as a broken bone keep me down. Plus, I had this really hot nurse lookin' out for me."

Cas looks up and gives Dean an exasperated look, having obviously heard the end of the brother's conversation.

"Not that Dean made it easy. He was bound and determined to get back to work." Cas reaches out to shake Sam hand, "Good to see you again, Sam."

"You too, Cas. Dean talks about you so much, I feel like we're already old friends."

Just then the back door opens and Teddy stumbles out of the car. When he looks up to see Sam towering over him, his eyes go wide and he shuffles closer to Dean reaching out to grab his hand. Dean smiles down at the nervous boy trying to put him at ease.

"Hey Teddy, I'd like you to meet my brother Sam. Or you could call him Sammy if you want. He really likes that."

Sam shoots him an annoyed look but squats down so he can be eye-to-eye with Teddy.

"Hey Teddy, it's nice to meet you. Dean talks about you all the time."

Blue eyes peek from around Dean's legs to give Sam a shy smile.

"Really?"

Sam smiles softly and nods his head.

"Really really. All he talks about is your dad and how awesome you and your brother and sister are. Frankly I'm a little jealous he gets to hang out with such cool kids while I have to go to school with adults."

Teddy's smile turns brighter, and he shuffles out from behind Dean's legs a little more. A noise draws Dean's attention to the open car door where he sees Jamie and Bea looking on in curiosity.

"You said your brother was a moose." Bea sounds put out at the discovery that she wouldn't be meeting a gigantic talking animal, and when Sam turns to give him the bitchiest of bitch faces, Dean can't help throwing his head back in laughter.

"Ah, sorry kiddo, I meant he's  _ like _ a moose."

Bea pouts for a second, but then Cas is calling the kids over to get their bags, and Dean goes to help his boyfriend.

"I already got us checked in, so y'all can go right to your room. I'm right next door so this should be fun," Sam says eagerly.

It's not long before they've managed to wrestle both bags and kids up to the room. It's a far cry from the motel rooms Dean remembers staying at as a kid; it's more like a suite with a queen bed, a couch, a small table and chairs in one room and a king bed in the other.

They make quick work of unpacking and with a few hours to kill before dinner, it's unanimously decided to hit the pool. Armed with towels, sunscreen, and wing floaties, the group heads down for a swim. Sam and Cas have struck up a conversation about the declining bee population of all things and end up in the shallow end with Bea so they can keep talking.

Dean spends most of his time throwing the boys through the air into the deep end, and even though his arms are screaming and feel ready to fall off, their laughter keeps him going. When he finally can't lift Jamie out of the water, he talks the boys into playing a game of Marco Polo. He glances over at Cas to see if he's still too deep in conversation to play but sucks in a breath when he finds his boyfriend staring at him with dark eyes.

Dean's not sure what he's done to get a reaction out of Cas like that, but he's never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth. With Sam, who's holding Bea, roped into the game, Dean's able to break away. He slides his arm around Cas' shoulders and leans in so they aren't overheard by little ears.

"What's got you all hot and bothered, sweetheart?"

Cas bites his lip and trails his eyes up and down Dean's exposed chest.

"I was admiring the way the muscles in your back moved and thinking of the way you look when I bend you over and-"

"Dad!"

Dean groans as Honey Bea interrupts what was a  _ very _ pleasant image to beg her dad to play with them. Sam's face says he knew exactly what he was letting the girl interrupt, so as soon as the kids aren't looking, Dean flips him off. Cas chuckles next to him.

"Don't think I'm letting you off that easy, Novak. We'll be revisiting this later."

Cas full on laughs as he swims away to join the game, and once Dean's body has calmed down a bit, he follows suit. 

The rest of the evening is spent splashing around the pool, Dean driving Cas crazy with soft teasing touches and whispered filth when no one is paying attention. Cas' eyes get darker and darker the more Dean teases, and he can't wait until he has the man all to himself. 

They have pizza delivered to their room which is devoured in record time and after two bedtime stories from Sam, the kids are finally asleep. Cas excuses himself to the shower so Dean can have a few moments to talk with Sam and tell his brother goodnight. 

"I'm happy for you, man. It's easy to see you were made to be a family man, and Cas is good for you. I don't think I've ever seen you smile so much."

Dean feels relief wash over him. Knowing Sam approved of his and Cas' relationship settles something inside of him he didn't realize was there. Sam has always been the most important person in his life, and up to this point, there was no relationship he was willing to put in front of his brother. Now though, looking at the grown man standing in front of him, Dean realizes it's okay to do this thing for himself. That Sam can take care of himself now and Dean can still be there for his brother even if he has a life with Cas.

Not wanting to let on how much Sam's approval has affected him, Dean throws his arm around his brother and gives him a tight hug.

"I love you, man. I'm glad you're here."

Sam slaps his back in solidarity before saying goodnight and heading off to his own room. Dean decides he needs a moment before heading to bed with Cas, so he checks to make sure the shower's free before jumping in to clear his head. 

Twenty minutes later, Dean's in his bedroom fresh from the shower, a towel slung low on his hips, and looking for his sleep pants when the sound of the door lock sliding into place has goosebumps breaking out along his skin. He can feel the heat radiating off of Cas as he comes up behind him and places his hands on Dean's hips. Pulling Dean against him, Cas' deep voice rumbles in his ear.

"I want you on your hands and knees tonight."

Sex with Cas is always amazing, but Dean has a special appreciation for the rare days that Cas gets in the mood to be a little rougher, a little more controlling in their love making. It usually means Dean's in for a very fun night, and this time is no different as the embers of arousal that Cas had stoked earlier at the pool blaze to life as Dean's dick twitches and starts to fill. 

"Fuck yeah, Cas, let me just-" Dean trips as he tries to drop his towel and get on the bed at the same time and while he does land on the bed he just manages to save his skull from connecting with the corner of the nightstand. A stunned silence fills the room.

"Oh my god Dean, are you ok?"

It's sheer survival instinct that has laughter bursting out of Dean's chest instead of flaming embarrassment. He shimmies up the bed and gets his knees under him so he can sway his hips enticingly in Cas direction.

"I'm good, but do you know what would make me feel even better? If you got your ass over here and fucked me already."

Cas lets out a rather unattractive snort but climbs up on the bed anyway. Cas is still wearing his sleep pants, but he's shirtless, his skin still pink from his own earlier shower. Once he's settled, Cas grabs the round globes of Dean's ass in each of his big hands and pulls them apart, exposing Dean's entrance to the cool air of the room. He drags one finger across the puckered skin before bending down to follow the same path with his tongue.

Dean gasps as wet hot arousal pools in his belly. Cas is the only lover Dean's had that was willing to do this for him and, not only that, but also seemed to enjoy quite a bit, judging from the way he was moaning between spearing his tongue into Dean's ass and nibbling softly along the sensitive flesh.

Dean's lost in the pleasure of having Cas' mouth on him, rocking back and riding his boyfriend's face that he was made for, when a noise has them both freezing in place. They hold their breath and wait, but after a few moments it becomes apparent it was a false alarm.

"Thank fucking god, because I don't know how we would have explained that one. Do you think if I'd said you were checking my temperature, they'd be scarred for life?"

Cas snorts again as he chokes back laughter, and Dean buries his face in the pillow to mask his own, very manly, giggles. Having his boyfriend struggling not to laugh while he eats him out is not how he saw this night going, but he'd be lying if he said he was mad. Being a dork with Cas is one of the things Dean loves most about their relationship. 

Since Cas is laughing too much to keep up with his tongue, he replaces it with his fingers instead, and Dean's giggles swiftly turn into moans of appreciation.

Cas swats his ass, and Dean's brain short circuits.

"Keep it down love if you plan on coming tonight."

Dean whimpers but nods his head as Cas starts moving his thick fingers in and out of him, spreading them in a scissoring motion everytime he pulls out, stretching Dean in a way that has his hips rocking back to meet Cas' hand. Cas can be a real tease when he's topping, but not tonight. Tonight, he's not wasting any time as he adjusts the angle of his wrist to brush his fingers against Dean's prostate. Dean bites his lip and grips the sheets tight as he attempts to muffle the needy sounds coming out of his mouth.

Warm lips brush against the base of his spine as Cas adds a third finger. Dean sighs and leans into the stretch. He loves the feeling of fullness that having Cas inside him brings. 

"Come on Cas, I'm ready."

"Not yet, Dean. We have a big day tomorrow and I don't want you to be sore."

Dean scoffs, but Cas is probably right. The dude is thick as fuck, and as much as Dean likes the burn of a tight fit, they've got a lot of walking to do tomorrow, and he doesn't want to be grumpy because he was too impatient tonight.

A warm palm slides around his waist to cup his erection where it's been weeping, neglected, between his legs. Dean really can't keep quiet now as he mumbles encouragements to Cas to keep touching him.

By the time Cas gets a fourth finger in and is sucking marks along Dean's shoulders and neck, Dean isn't even trying to stay quiet as he begs Cas to fuck him.

Here Dean thought Cas was going to skip the teasing, but he should have known better. Cas' breath is hot against his skin when he speaks.

"Are you ready?"

"Fucking yes, get your dick in me already."

Cas huffs out a laugh and pulls away, his fingers leaving Dean's body with a squelching sound that would have embarrassed him any other day, but right now all Dean cares about is finally getting Cas' cock buried in his ass.

Firm hands grip his hips and with one sudden yank Dean finds himself on his back blinking up at Cas' smirking face.

"Fuckin' show off."

Cas just smirks wider as he shucks his pants and coats his cock with lube while staring down at Dean.

"I want to see your face when I fuck you."

Dean swallows hard but has no complaints as Cas settles between his open legs and guides his cock to Dean's opening. He doesn't tease now as he sinks into Dean with shallow thrusts, letting him get used to the added stretch of Cas' girth. Calloused hands grip under Dean's knees to hold his legs open as Cas bottoms out and grinds his hips against the plush cheeks of Dean's ass.

"Fuck you’re tight, Dean."

Cas starts to rock his hips slowly as Dean adjusts. The burn of Cas' entrance quickly morphs to pleasure, and Dean throws his arms around Cas' neck to bring him down for a kiss. Dean holds tight as Cas' tongue pushes into his mouth. He can taste himself, and he moans as he slams his hips down to meet each of Cas' thrusts.

They're going hard now, hard enough that the headboard is rattling slightly against the wall, and Dean has a legitimate moment of panic that they really will wake the kids, but Cas reaches between them to work his aching cock as he fucks hard into him, and all coherent thoughts fly out the window.

Dean has to bite down on Cas’ shoulder to keep from screaming when he comes, hot and sticky between them, and Cas buries his face in Dean's neck when he lets out a loud groan as his hips slam home one last time and he shoots his load deep into Dean's ass.

They lay there for a while in the aftermath, floating on endorphins and trying to catch their breath before Cas carefully pulls out, kisses Dean's forehead, and rolls out of bed. Dean is too exhausted to move, but a few moments later Cas comes back to the room with a warm damp washcloth. Gently, Cas wipes Dean clean before offering a glass of water and Dean's discarded sleep pants.

As soon as Cas climbs back into bed, Dean scoots over and nuzzles his way under an arm. He doesn't mean to fall asleep but he must have been more tired than he realized, because all Dean gets out is a sleepy “I love you” before his eyes are closing and he's out. Dean's pretty sure he hears a soft “I love you, too” before passing out, but he can't be sure. All he knows is that he's exactly where he wants to be. In Cas' arms.

  
  


**♡♡♡**

Dean somehow manages to sleep in the next morning and comes out of his bedroom to be greeted with the sight of the kids, Sam and Cas are all squished together around the little table eating breakfast from room service. The kids look excited, no doubt thinking about the big day they have ahead, but Sam and Cas are both sporting blushes, and Cas seems to be really fascinated with whatever is on his plate.

"Morning, everyone."

A chorus of happy voices greet him excitedly, and Dean is all smiles as he comes over to snag a piece of bacon off Cas' plate.

"Mornin' sweetheart. What's going on?"

Cas opens and closes his mouth a few times but nothing comes out, so Dean looks to Sam to see if his brother might know what's going on, but Sam is glaring at him with pink cheeks.

"Oh nothing, Dean. I was just reminding Cas here how glad I am that I was able to get the room right next to you guys."

_ Shit. _

"In fact, I think our beds even share a wall. What do you think, Dean? Do you think it's nice that our beds share a wall?"

Dean laughs nervously as Sam continues to glare at him. It had honestly slipped his mind that Sam was literally in the next room. Usually, this kind of thing would be hilarious to Dean but seeing the horrified look on Cas' face has him holding back the smartass remarks he wants to say to his brother. Plus, Cas cracks under the pressure of Sam glare much faster than Dean.

"I'm so sorry, Sam, really. This is so embarrassing." Cas drops his flaming face into his hands, and Dean shuffles around the chairs to rub his boyfriend's back.

"Embarrassed 'bout what?" Jamie asks innocently, and just like that Dean is holding back laughter again.

After promising Sam a dozen times that it won't happen again, they finally get ready to head out to the Oregon zoo. The kids are beyond excited, and even Sam is barely containing his excitement as they pay for their tickets and get a zoo map and a little plastic key that can be used at certain exhibits for an interactive learning experience.

Jamie wants to see grizzly bears, Teddy is excited for the butterfly garden where you can feed actual butterflies, and Honey Bea can't stop talking about the elephants. Dean's just happy to be there with the people who mean the most to him, but he does have to admit the cougar is pretty badass.

Cas loses his mind over a sloth; at one point, Dean even thought Cas was going to cry when he was reading about the threat to their habitat. Sam almost rivals Cas' enthusiasm when they get to the meerkat enclosure. Apparently, he's a big fan of some show all about the little rodents, and he doesn't stop gushing about them for over an hour.

The day is long, and they spend way too much money at the gift shop buying stuffed animals, but everyone is happy and exhausted by the time they leave, and Dean thinks it's the most fun he's ever had at a zoo.

The rest of the weekend flies by. They spend an entire day at OMSI exploring. Dean is the only one that really appreciates the tour of the real submarine they keep docked right outside the museum, but by the end of the day, everyone managed to find something they liked.

That evening, Sam offers to take the kids to a movie at the Loyd center so Dean and Cas can have a bit of alone time. After lots of promises to call if anything happens, Cas and Dean kiss the kids goodbye and spend the next few hours exploring the city. They walk hand-in-hand down through the city center and end up eating at a taco truck with the best fish tacos Dean's ever tasted.

Afterwards, they go for a stroll along the waterfront as the sun sets and the city lights come to life. It's beautiful, but it's nothing compared to the sight of Cas standing with the colors of the sunset behind him and his eyes sparkling as he looks at Dean. As if pulled in by an invisible force, Dean leans down to capture Cas' lips in a soft kiss.

"I love you, Cas. Thank you for coming with me this weekend."

Cas smiles fondly at him as he cups Dean's cheek in his hand.

"I love you too, Dean. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here with you in this moment."

They lose track of time after that as their mouths meet in a sweet kiss that turns to more soft kisses that turn into them making out until they realize it's getting very late and they haven't heard from Sam.

They hurry back to the hotel, only to find Sam passed out on the couch under a pile of children as cartoons play softly in the background. Dean sneaks a quick picture with his phone before they gently shake Sam awake and get the kids into their designated sleep spots: the boys sharing the queen bed while Bea sprawls out on the couch.

Sam shuffles off to his own room with a loud yawn, and Dean feels a small pang in his chest watching him go. It's their last night in Portland, and tomorrow he'll have to say goodbye once again to his brother. At least now he's not alone, but saying goodbye to Sammy will never get easier as far as Dean's concerned. Cas must sense his melancholy mood, because he simply tucks Dean into bed and wraps him in his arms. Despite his exhaustion, it takes Dean a long time to fall asleep.

  
  
  
  


**♡♡♡**

  
  
  


Bea goes quiet and Dean lets out a sigh of relief when he sees she's finally fallen asleep. It had been a hard morning getting everyone packed up and saying goodbye to Sam, and Dean was happy to have a little reprieve from Bea's happy chattering. He loves her to death, but sometimes a little silence was needed. The boys had passed out 20 minutes ago, and Cas has been sitting quietly for most of the drive. He looks deep in thought as he stares out the window watching the trees fly by. 

Reaching out across the center console, Dean threads his fingers through Cas' where his hand sits lax on his thigh. Blue eyes glance over, and Cas gives him a small smile and squeezes his hand gently. They ride like that for a while, with REO playing softly in the background and the highway stretched out in front of them. They're coming up on the pass soon and before long, they'll be home. Dean feels a little pang of disappointment, knowing he'll have to go back to his own house tonight.

Not liking the way his thoughts are heading, Dean decides to needle Cas into distracting him. He swipes his thumb softly along the back of Cas' hand before bringing it up to place a kiss against his warm skin.

"Want to share what's got you thinking so hard over there, sweetheart?"

Cas shifts in his seat so he can look at Dean for a few long moments before he breaks out in a soft smile.

"I was thinking about family. Well, more specifically, I was thinking about you and family. About how different my life is with you compared to what it was."

"Oh yeah?" Dean says, a little flutter of nerves in his belly. "Good different or bad different?"

Cas leans across the seat to place a chaste kiss to Dean's temple.

"Good different. Dean, I thought I knew what love was. I thought I had this wonderful perfect life and when it all came to an end, I was devastated. I didn't think I'd ever be able to trust another man with my heart or with my children's hearts, but you've shown me time and time again what an amazing person you are. What it means to have a real equal partner, and my life is so much brighter with you in it."

Dean can feel his face flaming with Cas' praise, but his heart is also going wild in his chest. Cas is an affectionate guy and Dean loves it, but he'd be lying if he said it wasn't a new experience for him to have someone treat him with tenderness. Dean's always shown affection through touch: a pat on the shoulder, a kiss, a hug, even sex. For as long as he can remember, he's used his body to express the feelings he can sometimes find too hard to talk about. But Cas is different. Sure, he's pretty touchy-feely, but he also leaves little love notes for Dean to find around the house, and once he called the local radio station and had a song dedicated to Dean. Cas takes every opportunity to say “I love you,” and he never shies away from talking about the heavy stuff. 

So as much as it makes Dean swell with pride to hear Cas talk about him that way, it still lights his face in a bright blush and makes him tongue-tied to say the least. 

"I feel the same way, Cas. My life is way more awesome with you in it."

Cas' smile is like the sun beaming at Dean from the passenger seat of a lame ass soccer dad SUV, but Dean thinks he could handle a lifetime of driving shitty cars if it meant seeing that smile everyday and knowing he put it there.

"You should move in with me."

Dean blinks at the road in front of him a few times in shock.

"What?"

"You should move in. I hate the nights you're at the other house. I miss you when you're not there for dinner, and I never want to wake up without you again. The kids miss you too when you're not there." Dean's continued silence has Cas backpedaling a bit in worry. "Obviously I mean if you want to... that is to say, if you think it's too fast, just tell me to shut up because-"

Dean drops Cas' hand to press a finger against his lips before he can take back his offer.

"Yes! Yes Cas, I'll move in with you. I've practically packed up my place as it is." Dean's whole body is tight with the need to hug Cas in this moment. "Fuck, I wish we weren't on the freeway right now because all I want to do is put my arms around you."

Cas laughs in delight and leans over to plant another kiss onto his temple.

"I love you, Dean."

Dean smiles wide at Cas and feels joy bubbling away inside him.

"I love you too, Cas."

And in that moment, Dean knows. He knows that it might not be soon and it might not even be a year from now, but one day he's going to marry Cas, and no matter how long that might take Dean will be here to love him today and every day after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue will be up next Tuesday or possibly sooner if I get too impatient 😅.
> 
> Thank you all for coming on this journey with me 🥰.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't wait for Tuesday y'all so here is the last chapter! We are officially done 😭. Thank you everyone from the bottom of my heart for following along!
> 
> It's just a little short epilogue but I hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

****

**♡5 years later♡** ****

  
  
"Dad, Jamie wants to know if you're driving us to school tomorrow."

Dean looks up at Bea from his laptop. 

"Of course kiddo. It's the first day of school, I always drive you guys."

"That's what  _ I _ said, but he made me ask you," Bea leans her head back and yells towards the family room, "He said yes!" 

Rolling her eyes as if to say, “Boys...," Bea plops down in the seat across from Dean at the table. He's been hunched over his lesson plans for the last hour doing some last minute revisions, but now that he's come up for a breath, he can feel the ache in his back and neck.

He stretches his arms out until he hears a faint pop and lets out a groan. Definitely not getting any younger. Bea sighs and Dean smiles at the bored look on his daughter’s face.

"Hey, you lookin' for something to do?"

Bea's whole face transforms as she smiles brightly at him. She's probably the most excited to be back at school tomorrow, back with her little gaggle of friends, so the day is dragging for the youngest Novak.

"Yes, please! Jamie and Teddy said they were too ‘busy’ to play with me."

Dean chuckles at Bea's air quotes, no doubt a habit picked up from her dad.

"Alright, well what do you say we take Arlo for a walk and maybe grab an ice cream while we're at it?"

Bea pumps her first in the air and runs off to find the dog who is most likely with Cas out in the garden. Arlo is the newest member of their little family, thanks to a lot of begging from the kids and Cas catching Dean tearing up over one of those Sarah McLachlan SPCA commercials. They found Arlo at a local rescue, and when Dean had caught sight of the Australian Shepherd's blue eyes, he figured it was a sign that he was meant to join the family.

Luckily, their other four-legged family member was willing to share her domain with the rambunctious pup. Half-Face had spent most of the first month after Arlo came home judging him from atop of her favorite perch in the breakfast nook. But now that he's settled in, they can often be found curled up together in Arlo's bed.

  
  
  


Dean's filling up a couple of water bottles when he hears the back door open. He's expecting the sound of thundering feet and the clicking of dog nails against the hardwood, so he's pleasantly surprised to look up and see Cas coming in with a basket of tomatoes. When his husband catches his eye, he holds up his basket with a proud smile.

"We've got twice as many tomatoes this year. I think I'm going to make spaghetti tonight with these."

Cas' excitement is contagious, and Dean is smiling wide as he leans in for a kiss as Cas sets his bounty down on the counter. He can't believe next month they'll have been married for 3 years already. It seems like just yesterday he was fumbling his way through asking Cas out on a date, and now he gets to spend every day with the love of his life.

"Can't wait to taste it, sweetheart. You know how much I like your sauce." He winks, and Cas snorts a laugh at him.

"You're such a dork."

"Yeah, but I'm your dork."

Cas turns to cups Dean's face lightly in his palm, and Dean leans into it willingly.

"Yes you are and I wouldn't want it any other way." Cas boops his nose and laughs when Dean scrunches it in response.

"So," Cas says. "What's this I hear about a walk and ice cream?"

Before Dean can answer, Bea comes flying into the room with an excited Arlo on her heels.

"Let’s go, dad! I've got the leash and the crap bags!"

Cas shoots Dean a glare, because there is no chance Bea didn't pick up that lovely phrase from him.

"Bea, don't say ‘crap bag.’ It's crude." 

Cas is still glaring at Dean but he's not ready to let go of his good mood, so instead of trying to defend himself, Dean sends Bea to ask the boys if they want to come on their walk. As soon as he's alone with his husband again, he crowds into Cas' space.

"Don't be mad, Cas. I'm sorry I taught our daughter to say ‘crap bag.’" He leans in close so their lips are almost touching, and Cas' eyes go dark. "How about I make it up to you tonight?"

Cas' tongue darts out to wet his lips, drawing Dean's eyes to the movement.

"You know, one of these days, that's not going to work." Dean might have believed him if Cas didn't sound so breathless. He scoffs and tips his head to capture Cas' lips in a deep kiss. His husband melts into him easily, and Dean gets lost for a few minutes exploring the mouth he knows so well. His hands are just starting to wander south when they're interrupted by Jamie's disgusted voice.

"Ew, gross! Do you two have to do that in the kitchen?? I don't want to see my dads macking on each other where I eat."

Dean keeps kissing Cas for just a moment longer just to bug Jamie, but Cas pulls away with a laugh. He stays close though with one arm slung across Dean's lower back with his thumb tucked into the back pocket of Dean's jeans.

"Ugh, I bet other kids don't have to see their parents making out every two seconds." 

"Eh, just you wait. Couple more years, and it'll be us catching you making out all the time. So you may want to remember that next time you want to call us gross."

Jamie looks horrified, much to Dean's amusement, but the moment is quickly forgotten when Teddy and Bea skid around the corner chanting, "Ice cream! Ice cream! Ice cream!".

Dean turns to look at Cas' smiling face. "You coming with or staying here to play with your tomatoes?"

"And miss ice cream? I don't think so. I'm coming, too."

After a few chaotic moments of getting shoes on and grabbing water bottles, the five of them, plus Arlo, finally make it out the door. It's only a 20 minute walk from their house to the old fashioned pharmacy downtown that still has a soda fountain inside. The leaves on the trees have started changing colors already, but the weather still has a few weeks before it would turn chilly.

Dean waits at one of the tables set outside on the sidewalk with the dog while Cas and the kids go in to place their orders. He's enjoying a patch of sun, his eyes closed as he listens to the rumble of downtown traffic, when a small voice catches his attention.

"Mr. Novak! Hi, Mr. Novak!"

Dean turns to see one of his students from last year, Ethan Silva, waving frantically from the backseat of an suv waiting at a red light. He waves back and calls out a hello, just as the light turns and they pull away. It never fails to send a thrill down his spine when he's addressed as Mr. Novak. Even three years after changing his last name, Dean loves hearing it. Cas had protested of course and thought a hyphenated last name would have been fine, but Castiel was a Novak and Teddy and Jamie and little Honey Bea were all Novaks. It just made sense, to Dean, for him to change his last name to match.

Cas and the kids come spilling out of the pharmacy with their dishes of ice cream, plus one for Dean and a special non dairy pup-cone the store offers for dogs, bacon flavored of course. Cas sets Dean's ice cream on the table in front of him before sitting down and scooting his chair closer. Dean lifts his arm so Cas can tuck in tight to his side, and he drops a kiss to his husband's temple before digging into his own cup of cheesecake and marionberry swirl flavored heaven.

Bea is laughing as she holds Arlo's cone for him, her own rainbow sherbert melting in its cup while the boys talk about what classes they hope to get their first semester. The sun is shining down on them and Dean feels his heart swell with love for his little family. The only thing that could make this better would be if he could convince Sammy to settle down nearby, although his partner Eileen will probably have better luck on that front.

There's a lot of changes coming down the line. Honey Bea is starting her last year at school with Dean, and this time next year Jamie and Teddy will officially be high schoolers. They've already grown so much over the last five years, and Dean feels genuinely lucky to have been there to witness it.

Now, as he sits with his husband under his arm and with their kids across from them, Dean once again feels lucky. Lucky to have been given a chance to love and lucky to have had that love returned tenfold. Lucky to know that no matter what changes come their way, good or bad, they'll get through them as a family. 

As the Novak family.

  
  


**♡** The End **♡**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Until next time!


End file.
